Poseidon's Daughter
by flawedesires
Summary: Alice, daughter of Poseidon, winds up in Artemis' care & joins da Hunters, becoming lieutenant. Evil Hecate threatens to take down Olympus-starting with half-bloods! Alice assigned guardian to any & all demigods she can find...Full review inside. Plz R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**1/**

It isn't easy, being one of us.

Most of the time it gets us killed in horrible, painful, gross ways. Honestly, we spend a good chunk of our lives trying to survive the dangerous, crazy things that get in our way. Try not to worry. If you're lucky, then you're a completely normal mortal.

But if you are one of us, I can't tell you anything about our lives, as you could end up finding out who you are. And one that happens, your innocent 'mortal' life will end. Permanently.

I guess I could tell you one thing. A warning: if you sense something familiar in what I'm telling you, if you feel like you know what I mean, I suggest you stop reading, close these, and never look back. At least then you can enjoy your life for a few more months, give or take. But if you're willing to face this head on, right here, right now, if you're ready to subject yourself to the truth, then keep reading. I'm breaking a lot of rules by doing this, so you have to promise me: as soon as you're done, run. _Fast. _Hopefully you'll know everything there is to tell.

Or, at least you'll think you do.

I gritted my teeth and opened my eyes. I was hanging onto a piece of driftwood. I looked around, exhausted. Pieces of the boat were floating around me. I saw no one.

A splintered, but solid door floated by and I used the last remnant of my strength to heave myself onto it.

After hours at sea, my raft slid to a stop and I lifted my head. I was on a beach. I dragged myself out of the water, too weak to do anymore. I heard whooping and running feet but I couldn't make my body move. A strange and beautiful woman leaned over me. She murmured something to someone behind her, but I didn't hear her. I had already slipped away.

I woke up with a wooden spoon against my lips. I opened my mouth and I tasted chocolate. I sat up and gulped it down. Someone laughed and my eyes opened. A young girl, around fifteen years old, was holding the spoon in front of me. Her straight blond hair fell around her face and her blue eyes were merry. I grabbed for the spoon and she laughed again, holding it out of my reach. I looked around.

The girl and I were sitting in a clearing in the woods. There were tents scattered everywhere. Other girls sat around stringing bows and sharpening knives.

"I am Bianca," the girl said. "Who are you?"

"Alice," I said weakly. Bianca nodded thoughtfully. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then suddenly everyone stood and faced the east side of the clearing. The strange woman I had seen walked in. Everyone bowed. I scrambled to my feet and followed their example a little late. The woman laughed at my clumsiness and came over to Bianca and me.

"This is the half-blood?" she asked Bianca.

_Half-blood? _I thought_. _But even though I wondered what she was talking about, I felt as if I already know, or should know.

"Yes, my lady," Bianca bowed her head. The woman was young, though older than most of the girls here: maybe about twenty. She was encased in a haze of silver, and she wore a lunate silver crown in her dark hair. Her tunic and skirt seemed to be woven from moonlight. A great silver bow was slung over her shoulder, an ivory quiver strapped to her back.

She beckoned behind her and several of the girls brought forth two chairs, one more elaborate than the other. They shot me an evil look before scurrying back to their work. The woman sat in front of me and motioned me to sit as well. I sat.

"Who are you?" The question burst out of my mouth without my permission and I felt my face redden.

She laughed. "I am Artemis." The answer struck me and floated around in my brain. _Artemis, goddess of the Hunt? Like in Greek myths?_

The…_goddess_ nodded like she could read my mind.

"Where am I?" The wood around us looked unfamiliar.

"I believe we are in Oregon."

I blinked. I was completely confused.

The woman smiled wider. "Child, you are a half-blood. You are fifteen, yes? I'm quite surprised they haven't found you yet."

"What? I'm a half-blood?"

"Yes, child, but we have no idea who your father or mother might be." My head wheeled. "How we will find out, well your godly parent will have to tell us," Artemis went on.

Suddenly my left arm burned. I clapped my hand to my arm.

Artemis' eyebrows wrinkled up. "What is it, child?"

"My arm," I spoke through my teeth. "It burns."

Ever since birth, I'd had a perfect, trident-shaped birthmark on my left forearm. My mother had been terrified of my reputation if others saw it, and had taken great lengths to cover it with alternating powders and creams.

I looked back up and saw Artemis' face relax as she studied the mark. "Well, Alice, it seems now we know. You are a daughter of Poseidon."

As soon as Artemis had explained who I was, she offered me a position as one of her Hunters. I thought for a minute then accepted. I didn't want to go back to my life of boredom. When I told her I would join, my body seemed to glow and I felt stronger. Better. Artemis told me that it was the immortality.

Bianca and her friend Eleanor dressed me like themselves. They cleaned my face roughly and picked the thistles and seaweed out of my hair. I was given a quiver full of razor sharp silver arrows, a silver sword, and a bow. Bianca explained that since the weapons were magic, they would repair themselves and return to the owner if lost.

Bianca and Eleanor, who shared one of the silver tents, offered a space for me. I happily accepted, glad I fit in so easily.

It was my third week in the service of Artemis, and Bianca and Eleanor woke me. "Do you want to practice archery?" Bianca asked me.

I nodded, rubbed my eyes, and jumped up, hurrying after them. Bianca went first. Eleanor and I sat nearby and sharpened our arrowheads. "The first rule of being a Hunter," Eleanor said in a low voice. "Never break thine oath to Artemis."

"What's the second?" I asked.

"Never touch a fellow Hunter's bow," she answered.

I barely had a chance to smile before a girl I'd never seen before ran into the clearing where we were set up. She was clearly a Hunter. But she wore her hair loose, with a silver diadem set delicately on her head. The crown was interestingly made: a circle of intricately woven silver, coming to a slight point resting on the wearer's forehead, set with a blazing white pearl.

"Who is that?" I murmured to Eleanor.

"'Tis Petronilla," Eleanor whispered back, "my sister. She is the first lieutenant of Artemis. When she speaks, be sure to listen. And do not draw her attention."

"She looks…peculiar," I noted quietly.

"Petronilla is eight hundred and seventy four years old," said Eleanor.

"Does that mean everyone here is someone famous?" I asked.

Eleanor was quiet for a moment. "Yes," she said.

"Petra! Petra!"

All Hunters within hearing stiffened at the sound of the voice: it was a _man's_.

I instinctively jumped to my feet and notched an arrow in the direction of the voice, and saw all other Hunters had done the same. I shot a glance toward the 'lieutenant' Petronilla; her face was pale and tight.

A man—boy, I should say—dashed into the clearing and threw his arms around Petronilla, completely unaware of the arrows aimed at his chest. The boy suddenly noticed what was occurring around him and froze.

Artemis rose from her throne and flicked her finger. I knew what the motion meant and reacted quickly; pulling out a small crossbow, I shot a poisoned dart into the boy's neck. He fell to the ground at Petronilla's feet. "No!" she shrieked, sinking to her knees.

"How. Dare. You." Artemis's voice made me tremble, even though it wasn't intended for me. "You swore an oath to me, Petronilla."

She seemed to shrink before the knife-like eyes of the goddess. Artemis liked to keep herself in the shape of a young woman, about five feet five inches tall. But she grew taller and taller until she was over twenty feet high, looming over Petronilla. "Petronilla of Aquitaine, you are here forth stripped of your position as lieutenant and as a Hunter in my service."

"No!" Artemis's victim cried.

"To have a heart of stone than stone you shall be!"

Suddenly the lifeless boy in the dirt began to turn gray and stiff. The lieutenant of Artemis realized what would occur, and she threw herself across the body of the boy, sobbing. Petronilla's copper skin began to gray, until she too, had turned to stone.

The hardened figure looked beautiful, in an awful way; Petronilla held the boy in one arm, the other raised dramatically toward the sky. I realized that the marks on the statue's face were tears—the stone Petronilla still cried.

"Back to your tents!" Artemis barked. "Alice! Come here!"

I shot a fearful look toward Eleanor and Bianca as they went by, but I obeyed the wishes of Artemis and knelt before her. She went over to stone Petronilla and removed the silver circlet from her head.

"Alice," Artemis said. "Do you swear to turn away the embrace of men?"

"Yes, my lady," I murmured.

"Do you swear to turn your back on the company of mortals?"

"Yes, my lady."

"And do you swear to keep to me and the Hunters unless I say otherwise?"

"Of course, my lady."

"Then I bestow upon you the honor of the Lieutenant of Artemis," the goddess announced, and she placed the elegant circlet on my head. Then she pulled out my braid.

I bowed my head in respect and backed into my tent. Bianca was asleep on her sleeping pad, her blond hair loosened from its braid. Eleanor was awake, however, and her eyes went straight to my head. They widened.

A roar emitted from the forest and the Hunters burst from their tents. One of them let out a whoop and everyone charged in the direction of the monster's voice. I stayed behind, stunned for a moment before running after them.

A large group of hounds was attacking the Hunters. Well, they _looked_ like hounds, sort of. They had dark coats, red eyes, dripping fangs, and…_six legs. _My eyes popped as one noticed me standing there and made a beeline for my head. Several silver arrows burst forth from its chest and the monster fell at my feet.

"_Move!_" Bianca hissed at me, jumping on top of the hound-thing and ripping out her arrows. I don't know what came over me; my hands found the bow and arrows on my back and shot a thin silver arrow straight into one of the monster's eyes. It burst into flames and screeched as it sank into the ground.

Bianca stared at me with wide eyes. "What _is_ that?" I spat at her, ignoring her expression.

"A hellhound. Controlled by Hecate. These are one of her last." One of the…_hellhounds_ saw Bianca distracted and prepared to jump on her. One of my arrows sprouted from its throat and it dissolved like the first one with a bloodcurdling scream.

Bianca was alert all of a sudden and we continued to destroy hellhounds. When the last monster fell and caught on fire, the Hunters whooped (me included). Suddenly a shimmering figure with three heads appeared above the trees and Bianca gasped quietly.

The woman wore a cobra around her waist, and only one of her heads was human. The other two were a horse and violent-looking dog.

Artemis scowled at the three-headed woman floating in the sky and viciously tore an arrow out of a tree trunk. "Hecate," she growled.

Hecate did not smile. Her human head grimaced at the spot where the last of her monsters had died.

"You do not want a goddess like me against you, Lady of the Hunt." Her voice was like a snake's.

"What goddess?" Artemis hissed. "All I see is a three-headed _she-demon!_"

Hecate snarled. She glanced at me for a moment, then did a double-take, her red irises widening. She controlled her expression quickly; it was gone as suddenly as it had come. She turned back to Artemis.

"You have been warned, Daughter of Zeus." And with that, Hecate and her three heads disappeared.

The Hunters were frozen to their spots, murmuring in fear. Artemis's expression was angry, still glaring at the spot where Hecate had been. She turned toward us, her face tight, and told us to go back to the campsite.

Bianca and Eleanor were already sitting inside when I entered, surprisingly, unbraiding their hair.

"Today is our free day," Bianca told me, her blue eyes sparkling. I must've looked confused, so she turned me around and started combing my hair. I wore it loose now, as was the custom. "The reindeer that drive Artemis's moon chariot know how to do it themselves, but every full moon Artemis rides it across the sky herself. When she does, we get a day off to do whatever we want."

We grinned in unison and ran outside. The girls had already scattered. Some skipped off to the stream to bathe, or go for a walk, or hunt some small game. I loved the water, and convinced Bianca to come to the stream. I finally felt at home, and I relaxed.

The years passed without my notice. I never aged a day, and neither did Bianca or Eleanor. Artemis moved our camp often; we went from state to state. Not that we Hunters cared. We were happy just to be near our goddess. One morning it was our monthly free day and Bianca and I were glad to have it.

We were in the river early, and we took longer than usual, our peals of laughter filling the forest. We splashed each other with water and swam up and down the river. I swam back and watched Bianca have a splash-fight with Eleanor.

Lady Artemis called me back. Bianca and Eleanor exchanged a look but continued to our tent. Artemis didn't mention the deer/man. "Alice, the winter solstice is approaching, and the gods are gathering for their yearly Council. I need you there with me. Will you come?"

I blinked, surprised. "Of course, my Lady. Your wish is my command." The goddess smiled widely. She dismissed me with a wave of her hand and I walked to my tent, where Bianca and Eleanor were waiting for me.

When I entered, they helped me brush my hair and change my clothes. "Bianca, when is the winter solstice?"

She looked at me funny. "A few days from now. Why? What are you planning on the winter solstice?"

"Uhh…I have to go to Olympus for the Council of the Gods with Lady Artemis." Bianca's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything, so we lay down on our bed pads and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi again! It took me a while to sort through the mess I'd made, but here you go: Chapter 2! I really hope you guys like it! Also: I welcome any and all comments you guys have for me (even flames), so don't hesitate to say anything.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ideas I have used and/or altered in the making of my fanfic (unfortunately).**

* * *

**2/**

"Alice! Wait up!"

Bethany and I were running through the forest, chasing a sly rabbit. The rabbit had trotted far ahead of us, its tail bouncing wildly as it went. I shot an arrow toward it; it simply dodged, then dived into a bush, pricking my temper annoyingly. I skidded to a stop as Bethany called my name.

"What?" I said. It sounded harsher than I'd meant.

"Lady Artemis just called us back," she panted. "Aren't we moving camp today?"

I felt the sudden urge to slap myself on the forehead. How could I forget? "Let's get back," I said immediately. "Race you?"

A competitive smile grew across her face. "You're on. Ready…Getsetgo!" She took off into the trees.

I followed after her, calling, "No fair!" As I ran, I thought I saw something dark flashing through the leaves, running alongside me. I stared at it uncomprehendingly, my eyebrows furrowing.

I was so focused on the…_thing _that pretty soon I forgot I was running. My foot suddenly caught on a root and the ground swirled up toward my face, my head smacking on a rock and the world going dark.

* * *

I was dreaming. I could see that almost immediately. I felt a pang in my chest as I realized I was standing before my old home, before I'd joined the Hunters of Artemis. It seemed I had gone back in time, to just after I'd left.

I jumped as a glowing pair of eyes appeared in the bushes to my left. A girl stepped out, but she didn't appear to see me. She was pretty, with long black hair, green eyes, and pale skin. Suddenly her hair burst into flame, the color drained from her skin, and her teeth turned to fangs. Her left leg shifted into a hoof-tipped furry limb, the other to bronze.

A shimmering image appeared before her, slightly transparent and solid at the same time. I realized it was Hecate.

The demon/girl knelt at her feet. "There is no sign of her, my lady," she said. "It appears she has left with the goddess Artemis."

Hecate hissed. "You must find her, Caterina," she insisted. "We must prevent her fate."

Caterina nodded, baring her fangs in an evil grin. "I shall only fail in death, my lady," she vowed.

Hecate somehow smiled. "Good," she murmured. "Good."

* * *

I sat up abruptly in my sleeping bag, breathing hard. My body was covered in cold sweat, my heart thumping in my chest. A thin line of sunlight streamed through the cloth door of the empty tent. I quickly ran a hand through my damp hair, strapped my sword to my side, and ducked outside, gnawing absently on my lower lip.

I went to Artemis's tent, which bore the golden Greek letter alpha. I brushed aside the silvery cloth. "My lady?"

Artemis smiled at me from her throne, her somehow-silvery gaze warming. "Yes, child? Are you feeling better?"

I nodded, then told her hesitantly about my dream. Her eyebrows grew closer and closer together as I continued until her face was dissolved in worried wrinkles.

"What is it?" I asked, confused.

"Empousai," she growled. I still must've looked confused, because she went on to explain. "They are demon servants of Hecate. She must have sent them to find you. What did you say her name was?"

"Caterina," I replied, still confused.

Artemis groaned. "Caterina is the worst of them _all_. Think of her as Hecate's top general, leading all monsters under her reign."

"She sent Caterina to find me," I said, fear creeping into my voice.

"Do not fret, child," Artemis told me. "You are safe here." She got to her feet slowly, stretching. "Come. It is time for the Council." She started toward the tent's door, me close behind her.

Sitting outside the tent were two giant timber wolves. Timber wolves were the Hunters' companions for eternity; they never left our sides, so it was not unusual to see them lumbering around. I myself did not have one, as one hadn't chosen me. Until today.

Artemis ruffled the fur of the larger one, who huffed at her and licked her hand. "This is Polydeuces," she told me. "And that's Castor."

Castor eyed me suspiciously, but rubbed his nose against my palm affectionately at the first sniff. I climbed on his back, a little nervous. As soon as Polydeuces took off, so did he. The world flew by in a disorienting blur of colors, going so fast my face felt as if it was peeling off. In less than a second it was over, though I still had shivers going up my spine.

I looked around. Castor seemed to be standing on..._clouds_. I looked over the edge fearfully, then moved Castor away from it. I was deathly afraid of heights. He seemed to laugh at me, butting my foot with his head. I yanked on his fur to shut him up.

Before us were the magnificent golden gates of Olympus, glittering in the light that had no source. The winged guards caught sight of Artemis and opened the gates quickly; I got the feeling that they were afraid of her.

Inside the gates, there were small mansions everywhere, shining unbelievably. Satyrs, nymphs, and minor gods were walking around freely, their laughter and talk filling the air. As we passed the agora, the center of the city, I saw the nine Muses sitting by the fountain, playing intoxicating music on various instruments. One of them, whom I somehow recognized as Calliope, the muse of heroic poetry, looked up from her lyre and nodded at me. I managed a smile, running to catch up with Artemis, who was already inside the palace.

The throne room was indescribable in its divine beauty. It was impossibly big, seeming the size of thirty football fields. Twelve gigantic thrones of every shape and size stood in a U-shape around a blazing hearth. I caught sight of a young woman in the flames, wearing a plain brown dress and her hair in a bun. She smiled at me before disappearing.

There was a sudden blinding flash of light. Polydeuces and Castor were gone. The twelve thrones were full. I was standing beside Artemis's throne, decorated with engravings of girls hunting, deer grazing, and boars running in the forest. She was now over twenty feet tall, as were the other gods.

In the center was Zeus, with his black beard shot through with silver and his fancy golden robes. Beside him sat Hera, her chocolate hair tied in a Greek hairstyle and a rich crown on her head. Next to _her_ was Ares, his scarlet plume nodding as he flirted with the beautiful golden-haired goddess at his side—Aphrodite.

The rest of the gods appeared similarly, all divinely beautiful and radiating power. Demeter with her grassy throne, Dionysus with a glass of red wine in his hand, Hermes hurriedly writing a letter and taking notes on what Hephaestus was telling him at the same time.

My eyes fell on the god sitting next to Zeus, a glowing blue trident by his left hand. I felt my eyes popping.

_Father?_ I mouthed. His eyes flashed to me and he smiled. He was wearing robes seemingly made of water, his eyes identical to mine. He was clean-shaven with black hair like mine, his teeth as white as paper.

Zeus pounded his fist on his throne. "Silence!" he roared. All obeyed his command "Hermes."

Hermes stood up, a clipboard appearing in his hands. "The Council is called to order," he said. "Ares, we need to discuss the matter of the half-blood you nearly killed _and_ the destruction of half of London."

Ares scowled. Aphrodite patted his hand reassuringly. I watched in amazement as the gods decided to confiscate Ares's magical items for six months.

"Anything else?" Zeus said gruffly.

Hermes consulted his clipboard. "Quite a lot."

It turned out Apollo had cursed one of Artemis's boars. Artemis glared at him. "That was my favorite boar," she sniffed. "I can't believe you turned him into a pig."

"Pig, boar, what's the difference?" Apollo shrugged.

"There's a big difference!" Artemis sounded unusually childish.

"Apollo! Artemis!" Athena called. "Calm yourselves!" She glanced at Zeus. "Father, I suggest Apollo be punished for cursing one of Artemis's sacred boars."

Apollo scowled at his sister. "What about you Athena?" he said. "Haven't you done anything wrong since the last Council?"

Athena sniffed. "Of course not. I am not as childish as you two."

The twins opened their mouths in unison, but Hermes shot them dirty looks. "Please," he scoffed. "We have more important matters at hand. All in favor of punishing Apollo?" Eight of the gods raised their hands, including Artemis, who made a smug face at her brother.

The rest of the Council went on like this, most gods being sentanced to punishments for doing one thing or another to each other. Hades for trying to push Hera into Tartarus after an argument, Demeter for burying Dionysus under an apple tree, and Dionysus sending leopards after Demeter's planting grounds for revenge.

Finally Hermes said, "That's all for this year." He clicked his pen. "Are there any comments or concerns from members?"

Artemis stood up, slow and graceful, her childish demeanor gone. "A few days ago I was visited by one of Olympus' greatest threats."

Even before a name was mentioned, the tension grew in the room as the gods shifted angrily in their seats.

"Hecate has threatened all of Olympus in the open-"

Zeus's fist boomed on the arm of his throne. "Enough!" He glared at the members of the Council. "We must do something about this!"

Artemis met his gaze calmly. "Father, we all know who Hecate will destroy first: our children."

Everyone stiffened at the words.

Artemis continued smoothly. "I believe we should put that camp we built for our children to use."

Aphrodite shot up from her throne. "Who will watch over them?" she demanded shrilly. "Who can we trust?"

"Artemis," Zeus growled, "as this was your idea, I command you to give up one of your best Hunters to take up the job."

The goddess seemed surprised, and she hesitated. "I choose Alice," she said finally.

I stiffened in shock and blinked up at her in bewilderment; she paid no attention to me.

"Very well," Zeus said grimly after a while. He glanced at me. His power made my skin tingle. "You, girl, are hereforth appointed guardian of our children. A list containing names will be provided."

"Council adjourned," Hermes announced as soon as his father had finished speaking. A gavel-like sound echoed around me.

Another blinding flash. When I could see, the throne room was empty, save for Artemis. She was holding a sheet of parchment in her hand, her expression serious.

"Here," she gave me the paper. I glanced down at it; it was covered in names that I didn't bother to read. "Take Castor," Artemis urged. "He knows where to go." She placed her hand on my shoulder. "Please be careful, Alice. Keep them safe." Then she began to glow. I turned away, knowing if I looked at her in her true form, I would burn. Even still, heat slapped the side of my face, somehow rough and gentle at the same time.

She had vanished. I folded the list carefully, tucking it into the leather pouch at my belt. When I turned I found I was not alone. My father stood across from me, a smile playing on his face. He was at human height now, but still managed to tower over me.

I bowed. "Father."

Father took my hand and pressed something into my palm. "I am proud of you, my daughter," he said. "I always will be." Then he was gone as well, leaving only the faint scent of the sea.

I opened my hand. Sitting there was a silver bracelet and a gilded watch. I picked up the bracelet. It was delicate, engraved with a pattern in which sea tides danced. I slid it onto my wrist, tapping it gently. To my surprise, it glowed bright and shifted into my bow, which had been missing until then. _Thank you, Father,_ I thought. I tucked the watch into my pouch, saving it for later.

Castor was waiting for me outside, huffing. As soon as I climbed onto his back he began running; within a second we were there. Castor curled up immediately to sleep.

'There' turned out to be…a camp, as Artemis had mentioned. I was standing in front of an enormous four-story farmhouse. A happy-looking creek ran by the west wall. Upon approaching the house, a grimy plaque on the door read 'The Big House'. I felt my brow furrow.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," a voice called out suddenly.

I jumped, turning. A young girl stood at the bank of the creek, her arms crossed over her chest. Her flowing blue dress matched the blue ribbon in her black hair neatly. Her blue eyes danced.

"I'm Harmonia," she told me, flashing me a smile. "This is my creek." She pointed at the water. I realized suddenly that she was a naiad; a nymph who lived in water. She lunged forward and took my hand. "Come on. I'll show you around." She dragged me past the house and to a group of cabins—twelve of them, arranged in a U-shape around a blazing campfire.

"These are where all the demigods will be staying," she announced, stopping so quickly I ran into her. She opened the door to the silver cabin next to us, bearing a silver deer over the door. It was larger than it appeared, with comfy-looking bunks in rows all over the giant room, along with several different hides tacked on the walls and a bear skin complete with head serving as a carpet.

"This is Cabin Eight, Artemis," Harmonia said, sounding giddy. "One cabin for each god. The bathrooms are by the Big House, for both boys and girls. Everything has been readied for your arrival. It's been abandoned for decades, ever since the Trojan War, you know. Chiron used to work here, but he was so devastated he took a leave of absence. He'll be gone for a few millennia. Outside there's also a beach, an arena, a forest, a lake, and even some stables. The boundary line runs along that ring of hills by the forest. Mortals and monsters can't cross it without special permission, so everyone should be safe here."

"Um…thank you?" I said.

She smiled at me. "Now," she said, "Io lives in the lake at the center of camp, Leda in that little pond by Io, and Electra lives in the spring at the northeast corner of the woods. You know where to find us if you need anything!" _Poof!_ She disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke.

I looked around in awe. Something suddenly grew warm in my leather pouch; I pulled out the list of names and unfolded it. The writing was in swirling calligraphy. The first name was Anne Grey, daughter of Athena. Glowing gold by her name was an address.

I whispered the words into Castor's ear. He snorted, butted my hand, then ran. We were in front of a run-down school, seemingly deserted. A bell rang within the walls, and within minutes mortal children were pouring out in groups.

Castor scooted into the shadows of the alley across the street, plopping down on his haunches and laying his head in his paws.

A sudden scream ruined my peaceful thoughts, slicing the air like paper. I jumped out of the alley immediately. The mortals were scattering like mice, shrieking as they went and followed closely by a group of empuses.

In the middle of the street was a cowering girl, a tall empuse towering over her menacingly. The girl screamed.

My arrow whizzed by the demon in a blur of silver. She looked up, and my heart jumped into my throat. It was Caterina.

I shot another arrow at her; she dodged, then leaned into a feral crouch, baring her fangs in a hiss. Quickly I sprayed her companions with silver. They exploded into yellow powder.

Realizing she was alone, Caterina snarled at me once more, then stood straight, lifting her face to the sky. A black cloud curled around her, its evil fouling the air. Then she was gone, leaving only the smell of sulfur.

"Come on!" I said, surging forward and grabbing the girl by the hand. I dragged her back to Castor and we returned to the camp.

The girl, Anne, was quiet when we stopped. She seemed to be in shock, her gray eyes staring blankly and her dark hair wild. She was so distracted she didn't notice the owl that popped above her head.

I shook her shoulder. "Anne? Anne Grey?"

She blinked, turning her gray gaze on me. "What? Where am I?" Her eyes narrowed, her terror vanishing. "Who are you?"

"You are at Camp Half-Blood," I said, jumping off Castor's back. "I'm Alice." I started toward the house.

"Wait!" she called. "Why am I here?"

I whirled to face her. "You are here, Anne, because you are like me. You're a half-blood."

Her eyes widened into saucers. "Half-blood?"

"Yes! Half mortal, half god," I said. I went on to explain. "The Greek gods who ruled over most of Europe and especially Greece are alive today! They are watching us now!" I jabbed a finger at the sky. Her eyes followed my finger and widened still. Her mouth became a round O.

"The gods…are real," she whispered.

I nodded.

"That makes so much sense!" she exploded suddenly, making me jump. She laughed. "Oh, my god-"

"Gods," I corrected quietly.

"—I've been living a total lie my whole life! How could Dad never tell me about this?" She rambled on and on. I tuned her out and took the opportunity to feed Castor.

"Alice?" She seemed to stumble over my name.

I looked up. "Yes, child?"

"What happens now?"

I sighed. "Well, you are the first demigod besides me to be at this camp, but there are many more." I shook out the creased and wrinkled list to show her.

She took it gingerly, studying the carefully drawn calligraphy. "Why is this one glowing?" she asked.

"The name that's glowing is the demigod we have to get next," I replied.

"Hmm. So, how does my life change from here on?" she said.

_She really _is _wise, _I thought to myself. "You should avoid going into the mortal world," I said. "Your scent will draw in countless monsters that will all try to kill you in one way or another." I hesitated, trying to decide if I should explain Hecate to her, but I resolved to wait.

"So...do you want me to wait until you get back?" she asked.

I shook my head. "It is better you come with me. I don't want you alone here."

"Oh," she said, sounding surprised. "Okay then. That means we get..." She squinted at the list. "Peter Montgomery, right?" She started to climb on Castor's back.

I reached out and stopped her. "Wait. You'll need this." I pulled the silver dagger from my boot, pressing it into her palm. "This is Hephaestus-brand silver, guarunteed to destroy every monster that crosses your path." I helped her mount Castor and we left, following the directions on the gods' list.

The school was similar to Anne's, but far more deserted.

Anne wrinkled her nose. "Ew. So, how do we know which one's Peter Montgomery?"

A feminine scream rang out.

I tapped my bracelet. "That's how."

The mortals were fleeing the school in waves, screaming as they went. I dashed past them and into the school, Anne hurrying to catch up to me. I almost slipped and fell on my butt when I saw the monster threatening the poor boy. A hydra.

"Peter!" I screamed. I threw my sword toward him.

The red-haired boy stared at me from behind a row of lockers, his blue eyes growing as he reached out and caught my sword by the hilt. Anne, wise though she was, ran past me clumsily and stabbed the hydra in the foot. It roared in pain and kicked her through a window. Peter Montgomery ran forward as well, my sword in his hand, slicing the air in a deadly angle.

Before I could stop him, he sliced off one of the hydra's heads. "No!" I shouted. Within a second two heads grew back, hissing and spiting poison. Surprisingly, he grabbed the nearest flagpole and somehow set it on fire.

_Good thinking,_ I thought.

He lopped off another of the hydra's heads, then seared the neck shut with his flaming flagpole. I shook myself awake and helped him, shooting the hydra wherever I could. The crunching of glass signaled Anne's return; she ducked under the hydra's flailing heads to its feet, where my knife hilt stuck out. Soon she was climing on the monster's back, searching for a weak link feverishly.

Suddenly, an idea. I stopped shooting arrows and threw out my palm. The water fountains by the locker rooms exploded.

"Holy crap!" shouted Peter Montgomery.

The water built itself into a colossal groaning wave, crashing over the hyrdra and tossing Anne to the ground sopping wet. The monster screamed and thrashed, fighting to free itself, but I tightened my hold until I was sure it had drowned. When I released the water finally, I felt drained.

Quickly I whistled. Castor squeezed through the door almost immediately and offered me his back, panting.

"Oh my god!" Peter was as hysterical as Anne.

"Gods," Anne and I corrected.

I patted Castor's muzzle affectionately. "Anne, would you like to do the honors?" She opened her mouth. A bang sounded from somewhere else in the building and the hissing speech of dracanae, or lizard-women, reaching us clearly and becoming louder every second.

"Quickly!" I said. We all piled onto Castor's back, disappearing just as the first demon-lady made it through the doors.

Anne started talking as soon as my wolf stopped running, seeming at ease with Castor's means of travel. "...ever heard of the Greek gods? Yeah, guess what? They're real, and apparently we're they're kids." She said this all very fast.

Peter's eyes glazed over. "Gods?" he repeated hollowly.

Anne glanced at me, then back at Peter sympathetically. "Yeah. I know it's a lot to take in, but let me show you around!" She jumped off Castor's back and took off, with a dazed Peter following behind her absently.

As I watched as Harmonia leapt out of her stream suddenly, causing Anne and Peter to shriek, I felt more at home, as if I were meant for this job. I shook my head at my cousins' ignorance. They had no idea what else was in our world, waiting for them. I wondered if rescuing my relatives would be this easy. How wrong I was.

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******So, what'd you guys think? (Please don't hesitate to tell me!) Can Alice really dare to hope for a life of leisure? How many more monsters can she take head-on? And how can she even try to shake off Hecate? Check back soon to find out!**

**Kisses! -Alice**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, really small amount of people who read my fanfic! Sorry I didn't upload until today; it was my bro's b-day on Friday so I didn't get a chance to even look at my computer. :( Oh, well. Here's Chapter 3 for ya!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ideas I have used and/or altered (sadly).**

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**3/**

THREE WEEKS LATER.

I opened my eyes, rubbing my cheek and sighing. The Poseidon cabin was decorated with different shades of blue and green and seashells everywhere. The long row of windows at the far wall gave me a view of the camp's beach, which lead to the Pacific Ocean. The cool salty breeze rushed through the air.

Quickly I dressed and ran outside, dodging one of the Hermes kids' traps and heading for the Big House kitchen. Phoebe Rhodes, daughter of Hermes, was standing in the kitchen, pulling plates out of the cabintets. She grinned at me.

I'd rescued Phoebe from her house when a hellhound threatened to crush her a while back. I liked her; she was the only Hermes child who didn't prank or steal. Instead she was kind of, well, normal. Or, as far as I knew.

"Hi, Alice," she said.

I surveyed the large stack of plates and cups in her arms. "What happened to the nymphs?"

"Oh, one of them broke her leg in the woods the other day, so they're all taking care of her."

I rolled my eyes with her. "Fine." I took a few plates from her and we walked together to the dining pavilion.

Meals, surprisingly, were easy to deal with. There were twelve tables decorated for each god: a solid gold table for Apollo, a glass table like a mirror for Aphrodite, a metal table for Hephaestus with pop-out cupholders. I was the only one who sat at the Poseidon table, but that didn't bother me.

When my turn came I scraped a big piece of brisket into the flames of the fire, murmuring, "Poseidon." The smoke curled into the air, somehow keeping itself together as it drifted toward Olympus. I imagined my father being pleased as he received it.

After breakfast I wandered over to the arena. I thought it was deserted until I found Anne Grey in the armory, staring intently at one of the very-realistic-automatons that we kept there.

"...should have used a 3x4 instead of a 6 inch..."

"Anne?"

"Hmm? What?" she straightened in surprise and whirled to face me. "Oh, it's you. I was just..."

"Criticizing someone else's work?" I finished.

"No," she said defensively. I laughed.

"Hey, Alice!"

I turned and saw Jared Bennet and Dominic Parsons, sons of Ares, standing behind me. They were dressed in full Greek armor and each held a sword in his hand.

"Up for a fight?" Jared grinned.

I shook my head, though I really needed one. "No, thanks," I said. "I have better things to do." I turned and began to walk away, but not before I saw the unusually malicious glint in the boys' eyes.

I pulled out my sword just fast enough to stop Jared's blade from hitting my face. His grin returned. I caught the glint of Dominic's sword as he prepared to jab at me. I easily dodged it. We played cat-and-mouse for a while before I got bored. I stayed Jared's blade just long enough to sweep Dominic's legs out from under him. He hit the ground with an oof. I ducked under Jared's arm while he was distracted and slashed the back of his knee. He collapsed, his sword clanging by my foot. Dominic regained his balance and came back swinging. Good as I was, he managed to knock my blade out of my hand, but before he could put his own against my neck I stamped on the end of Jared's fallen sword, caught it, and parried against Dominic once more. Finally I sliced through the leather of his belt. His jeans dropped. He tripped. I turned to pin Jared to the dirt with his own sword, then planted my combat boot on Dominic's chest, scooping up my own sword and pointing it at his face.

We were all frozen like that for a minute or two, then Dominic laughed from his spot under my boot. I smiled. I helped him up, then he and a couple of dryads dragged Jared off to the infirmary.

Anne came to stand beside me. "Just what we needed," she said sarcastically.

I laughed.

"Alice."

I turned. Tyler Bryce, son of Dionysus, was standing behind me, a familiar boy at his side. Anne scowled. She and Tyler weren't on the best of terms.

"Tyler," she sniffed.

The corners of Tyler's mouth turned down. "Anne." His air switched back to friendly as he gestured to the boy by his side. "This is Peter Montgomery." Ah. Now I remembered him. This was the boy I'd saved from the hydra.

Anne became friendly as well. "Hello," she said to the boy.

"Hi," I said. "I'm Alice. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

"Um…hi," he stammered.

Anne managed a smile. "Why do you always get to say that?" she asked. "That's it. I call dibs on the next one!"

"What about me?" Tyler said.

"Forget you," Anne replied, turning her nose in the air. Tyler rolled his eyes.

I turned my gaze on Peter. He had red-gold hair and a bright smile. He had a golden glint in his blue eyes, as do all descendants of the sun cocked my head. "Oh, poor child," I said. I glanced at Tyler. "Did you already explain?"

"Done and done," Tyler said with a grin.

We both looked at Anne. Her expression turned irritated as she realized what we wanted her to do. "Oh, so I have to do this?" she demanded. She jabbed a finger at Tyler. "What about him?"

"Forget me," Tyler mocked.

Anne's gray eyes narrowed dangerously. She grabbed Peter's wrist and started to drag him away. "You just wait, Tyler Bryce," she said.

"Wait a second," Tyler said suddenly, his hand shooting out to grab Peter's other arm. He turned to me, a grin playing on his face. "Wanna take him on a test drive? I'll give you twenty drachmas if you can handle him and Anne on a Seeker mission."

My eyes widened. "But he's only just got here—"

"Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk," he said.

I raised my eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

His grin widened. "Oh, it's just a saying we have in the 21st century."

"Okay, Tyler," I said. "You're on."

"Whoa!" Anne released Peter's arm to hold up both of her hands. "Do I have a say in this?"

"No," Tyler and I said together.

She sighed in exasperation and crossed her arms. "Fine," she grumbled.

I whistled. Castor appeared instantly. Peter Montgomery stumbled back in surprise. "What the—?"

"Don't worry," I said. "He doesn't bite." I jumped on his back.

Anne followed suit, pulling Peter behind her. "Please keep all body parts out of the cold, soulless void whilst the ride is moving," she said, mimicking a conductor at a theme park, "and _do not_, under any circumstances, stand up while the ride is moving unless you wish to be severely injured and/or decapitated. Do not board if you are afraid of the dark and going so fast your face feels like its peeling off—"

"Okay!" I said. "I think he gets it." I pulled on Castor's ear. I heard Peter's cry of fear as Castor started running, and tolerated it for about five seconds after we stopped before Anne smacked his shoulder.

"Peter! Shut up! We've already stopped."

"Come on," I said, sliding off his back and trudging into the snow. Peter followed Anne and me into the school, dazed. The inside was modern and everything was dreary.

"Now what?" said Anne. Footsteps suddenly echoed toward us.

"Move!" I said, shoving them through the nearest door and shutting it behind me. I found myself crammed in a pitch-black closet.

"Ow! Peter, get your elbow out of my stomach!" Anne snapped in the darkness.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Alice, do we even know who the mark is?" Anne asked.

"Yes," I said defensively. "I checked the list before we left. It's Alec and Sophie Salazar, Anne's siblings."

"Cool," Anne said happily. "I was getting tired of being the only smart person in camp."

"So, the whole gods thing..." Peter trailed off.

"Oh, that," Anne said, sounding bored.

"Who's your dad?" he asked her.

"He's a dean at Harvard," she said, sounding stiff.

"But—"

"What, you think I can't have an Olympian mom?" Her tone was sharp.

"Uhh..."

She scoffed. "My mother is Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy," she said. "It means I always win."

"Oh." Peter sounded extremely uncomfortable. "So what are we doing here?"

"We have to find all out relatives," I said. "I have a list of all of them. We go to their schools, their homes, to make sure they make it to camp safely."

"And if you don't?"

It was silent for a minute.

"Let's just say you were lucky," Anne said.

"Okayyy..." He changed the subject quickly. "How long are we going to be stuck in here?"

A screech sounded outside, followed by a roar. "No much longer," I said, and I shoved open the door. We all tumbled onto the ground, groaning. Another roar.

"What is that?" Anne said.

I felt the color drain from my face. "A hydra," I answered.

Anne's expression grew dead serious as she drew her new sword. "Not again."

"What?" Peter seemed confused. "What's a—"

"You've already seen one, but it's a monster with seven heads," Anne said. "Almost impossible to defeat."

"I don't really want to know, but why?" he said, wary.

"Because every time you cut off one of its heads, it grows two more."

I gave Peter my knife. "Here. You're going to need it."

And together we ran toward the screams.

The hydra was way bigger than I'd wanted it to be, its seven heads spewing poison all over the room. Anne immediately sucked in a deep breath of clean air, then ran into the green mist. The monster didn't seem to notice her as she climbed on its back. Peter did the same.

I climbed onto a row of lockers, tapping my bracelet. Quickly I shot a dozen arrows down the nearest hydra head's throat, ceasing its stream of poison. I could see Anne faintly, slowing as she began to suffocate. As quickly as possible I tried to stop the poison's flow, spraying the demon with countless arrows.

I spotted Peter backing out of the remaining poison, dragging a coughing figure with him. He put the figure in a corner and ran back into the green mist. Soon he was guiding a second person to safety.

The hydra screamed in anger. Anne had found a weak spot. The monster disintegrated into a shower of yellow powder, smelling like sulfur. I heard Anne yelp as she hit the ground. Another screech drew my attention to the far wall; the door had burst open and an empuse was crouching in the doorway, shedding her disguise.

"She's calling for reinforcements!" Anne shouted.

I whistled. Castor smashed through the wall, skidding through the powder. I helped Peter heave the two kids on his back and as soon as Anne seized a tuft of Castor's fur we vanished.

When the house appeared, Anne was still holding Castor's fur with a dazed look on her face and Peter was frozen. The boy, who must have been Alec, had huge gray eyes that were now blank and glazed. The girl, Sophie, shook her head back and forth, like she was trying to get something out of her head. She put her hands on her hips.

"Who are you people?" she demanded.

Peter, Anne, and I exchanged looks. "I suppose since you're here…" Peter nodded and crossed his arms. I turned back to Sophie. "I'm Alice. I'm a Hunter of Artemis and daughter of Poseidon." I gestured to Tyler. "This is Peter, son of Apollo, and Anne, daughter of Athena."

The twins blinked. "What? Those names…" Alec murmured. "I feel like I know them…"

"I should hope so," I sniffed.

Sophie spoke up. "The twelve Olympians. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Ares, Dionysus, Artemis, Apollo—" Thunder rumbled loudly and lightning flashed.

I shushed her. "Be careful with names," I warned, looking up at the sky nervously.

"They don't know!" Anne shouted at the clouds. "Forgive them!" No thunder.

"Wait," Alec interrupted. "You talk about them like they're real. They're just myths." The ground shook and thunder boomed so loudly that we clamped our hands over our ears and cowered on the floor.

"Don't anger them. Lord Zeus will have you spontaneously combusted," I said, biting my lip.

Alec stared at me. "Can you say that in English?"

I sighed. "He'll make your molecules go up in flames! You'll burn!"

"Why?" Sophie asked.

"Well no god wants to be called a myth! They would kill you on the spot for such an insult!" I said, exasperated. "The only reason you haven't gone up in flames is because no one wants to offend your mother!"

The twins stared at me. "Our…mother?" Alec whispered.

"You only have one parent. No brothers or sisters but each other. You two get kicked out of schools very, very often. Every time something weird happens and you have to move," I stated, a little dully.

Sophie and Alec looked at each other. "How did you know—?"

"It's happened to all of us. Even me, many years ago," I said, sadly.

"Not even Alice knows how old she is," Peter interjected.

I shot him a dirty look. "Yes I do! I'm four hundred and eighty one!"

They all stared at me.

"You're four hundred and—" Alec started. Sophie punched him in the shoulder to shut him up.

"Come on," I said, turning away. I pushed open the door. "Anne, take your brother and sister to the Athena cabin. Let them get settled," I ordered. My second cousin nodded and led her siblings to the cabins.

When I glanced at my list later, Sophie and Alec's names were crossed off. The next one was glowing.

"What's that?" asked a voice from behind. I jumped and turned around. Alec was standing behind me.

"Oh, just a list," I said, smiling.

He came forward and studied it. "My name is on it. And so is Sophie's." He frowned.

I changed the subject quickly. "Do you like your cabin?"

He broke into a smile. "Yeah, it's great. They have everything from Homer to Shakespeare in there. So, who are you again?"

"Alice, Hunter of Artemis, Daughter of Poseidon," I said nonchalantly. Alec nodded thoughtfully. "Well," I sighed. "We've got to get our next mark. Go find your sister."

Alec didn't look so happy about that. He'd probably caught Eleanor's coldness toward boys. "Right."

There was a sudden explosion from upstairs and a scream. Alec and I exchanged looks, then ran for the cabins as fast as we could, skidding to a stop once we saw the bright orange smoke drifting out of the Athena cabin door.

Alec pinched his nose. "Ewww," he complained. "It smells like rotten eggs!"

I wrinkled my nose as well. "What in the name of Poseidon is that?"

"I have no idea," said a voice.

I turned, pinching my nose like Alec, to see Anne against the wall, coughing out orange smoke. "Sophie knocked a beaker into a glass and everything just exploded." She blinked rapidly.

Another figure came out of the orange smoke, coughing. "Oops," hacked Sophie, covered in the orange dust.

"_Hello?_ _Where am I?"_ Yet another voice, dazed and confused, coming from the Athena cabin.

"Styx!" Anne cursed. She had easily picked up demigod slang, though she had only learned of the gods a few days ago. "Sophie must have transported a mortal into camp!"

I stiffened. "Impossible. The boundary line prevents all non-demigods from entering camp." I hurried into the Athena room, waving away the annoying orange smoke as I went.

A young girl was lying on the long table that cut the room in half. She blinked wildly. "Where am I? Who are you?"

"What's your name?"

She glared at me warily, but she said, "Ophelia. Ophelia Warring."

I raised an eyebrow. "Ophelia?" I didn't react when the hologram-like image of a boar appeared above her head.

"Where?" Anne came into the room. "Isn't that—?" She stopped when she saw the boar.

Ophelia waved her away, misunderstanding. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ain't nothing I haven't heard before, smarty-pants." She jumped off the table, her amber eyes intense. "So, where am I?"

I explained everything to her. Well, almost everything. She seemed to believe it.

"Okay," she said slowly. "Does that mean you get to destroy a bunch of monsters all the time? Like with real weapons and all that?"

I nodded, unsure about what she was getting at.

Ophelia broke into a grin. "Take me to the weapons room, kid."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but Sophie said, "I'll do it." She led Ophelia away, and the orange smoke with it.

Anne sighed when she saw the crater left on the table and the black scorch marks on the wall, but she just turned and walked away, thankfully not exploding.

I glanced at the room myself. I would volunteer to help her later.

I knew that it was chemically impossible to transport anyone to camp with an accidental combination of two simple chemicals, which meant that the gods must have had something to do with it. Though he was her father, it was unlikely that Ares would send Ophelia Warring to Camp Half-Blood, as he liked his children to "fight their own battles". But if he didn't do it, then who did?

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**So...Who's messing with Alice and sending her free demigods? Is there anything worse than fighting a hydra? Exactly how long is the List? Please review! I really need more than just the one person-no offense meant to that really nice one person whom I'm grateful to-but I just need more people to review me. I've resolved to need at least 5 reviews before I post another chapter, but then again, I'm most likely to give up on that resolvement within three to five days. **

**Kisses! -Alice**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yeah, so, I gave up on that resolvement today. I just love that feeling when you click on "Add Chapter" and then you check your page and your story's there. So I'm updating right now (obviously). Thank you to the three people who actually reviewed on my fanfic!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ideas I have used and/or altered (unfortunately). I only own the characters and places I have created. **

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**4/ **

A loud crash. I opened the door to the Artemis cabin to see Eleanor standing over a smashed alarm clock, looking furious. She glanced up at me. Her anger seemed to melt.

"Sorry, Alice," she said. "I just can't stand it here anymore! Too many boys!" An explosion outside the door and a few giggles. Eleanor looked like she was going to explode herself. "I'm going back to Artemis."

I opened my mouth to reply, but a silver glow suddenly appeared in a corner. A shimmering apparition of Artemis stood there. "Come, Eleanor," she said. She turned to me. "Alice, I am afraid you are to remain here."

My heart sank a little, but I said, "That's all right, my lady. The children have yet to learn."

"I praise you for your endurance," Artemis said, smiling at me. She held out her hand to Eleanor, who took it. The glow brightened and I adverted my eyes. When I glanced back, Artemis and Eleanor had vanished.

My stomach growled. I walked to the mess hall, took a plate and glass, and sat at the Poseidon table. After I'd ordered my food, I scraped a portion into the fire.

"Poseidon," I murmured. I watched the smoke curl up toward the clouds, then walked back to the table. I cleared the plate and was startled to hear, "Chocolate chip cookies."

I looked up. Peter Montgomery sat next to me, then reached over and took a cookie. He bit into it and chewed thoughtfully. I nibbled the edge of one; it was surprisingly good. The cookies disappeared quickly between us.

I stood up and stretched. I froze when I heard footsteps from the woods and tensed. I touched my bracelet and notched an arrow in my bow. I heard Peter draw his bow too. A girl stumbled out of the trees and collapsed on the ground. She didn't move again. A hellhound ran up and growled at her. It pawed at her back; when she didn't react, it leaned down to bite her in half.

A mixture of Peter's and my arrows sprayed it in the face. It retreated, growling and scratching at the arrows, trying to get them out. My bow shrank to a silver bracelet and I ran over to the girl.

She laid face-down in the dirt. When I turned her over I saw that she had long golden hair and sharp features. Her face was grimy and her clothes were in tatters. I propped her up in my arms with her head against my shoulder. I sent Peter to get a glass of nectar and a bowl of ambrosia. He nodded fearfully and ran into the house. I examined her left arm and saw a dove tattooed into her skin, proving her to be a daughter of Aphrodite.

"How do you know that she's not mortal?" he asked when he returned.

"She wouldn't be able to cross the boundary line if she was mortal. The only way that could happen is if someone inside gave her special permission," I said. I placed my hand on the girl's forehead. It felt cold and clammy, but otherwise fine. She coughed and opened her eyes. Her irises were a deep shade of purple, like violets.

The girl coughed again—a rattling noise that shook her body. She blinked and stared up at me. "Who—where—?" Her words were cut short by another heaving cough.

"Shh," I said. "You need to rest. My name is Alice. Who are you?"

"I'm Elizabeth," the girl said.

"Where's your brother?" I asked her. Hers was the name glowing on the list, next to her brother's, James. Before she could answer me I filled her mouth with ambrosia. She choked on it, but swallowed.

She coughed. "James—I couldn't find him after those _things_ came after us," she shuddered. I spooned more pudding-like ambrosia into her mouth.

"What is that?" she asked, eyeing the bowl.

"Ambrosia," Peter answered. I silenced her with more of it. Luckily Peter had put a straw in the glass of nectar. I put it in her hand and poked the straw between her lips. She took a sip and stared at the liquid. Then she grabbed the straw with new strength and drained the glass. I fed her the rest of the ambrosia and helped her to her feet. She swayed dangerously and Peter caught her around the waist.

We half-carried her inside the Big House and laid her on the couch. She was still pale, but better. We sat in the armchairs and talked.

"We have to find James," I whispered urgently. "If she lost him, then he is in grave danger. The goddess Aphrodite will not be happy if her son dies."

"I know," he whispered back. We glanced at Elizabeth.

"This is not good," I said quietly. "This is _not good!_"

"What isn't good?" Tyler asked loudly, striding into the room.

"Shh!" we hissed. Elizabeth opened her eyes slightly and looked at Tyler, then shifted and closed her eyes again. Tyler came over and sat cross-legged at my feet.

"Who is that?" he asked in a whisper.

"Elizabeth. Daughter of Aphrodite," I answered.

Tyler got sort of a dreamy look on his face. "Well that explains…"

"Yeah…" Peter said, with a matching expression.

I shook my head. "What is wrong with you two? Elizabeth's brother is missing and _I_ am responsible."

"Don't sweat it," Peter waved away my concern. "We'll find him soon. In fact, Tyler and I will go and get him right now."

Tyler's head snapped up. "_What?_" Peter kicked him in the shin. Tyler scrambled to his feet. "Yeah, Alice, we'll find him. You won't get in trouble." Peter twirled the dial on the watch his father had given him. It could transport him anywhere he wanted and even turn him invisible, as well as tell the time.

"Wait!" I protested, but they were gone.

"What?" Elizabeth sat up, blinking.

I walked over to her. "Sorry Elizabeth. The boys just decided to go and fetch James."

She nodded and brightened. "Can I have more of whatever you gave me before? Sorry I can't remember the name." She blushed prettily.

"Ambrosia and nectar," I said. "No, I wouldn't digest too much. You don't want to spontaneously combust."  
Elizabeth looked a little disappointed, but she swung her legs over the edge of the couch. "Where am I?"

"You are at Camp Half-Blood," I answered.

"Half-blood?" she asked, looking confused.

"Yes. The correct term is _demigod_," I said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Elizabeth said, holding up her hands. "Demi_god?_"

"Yes," I said.

"As in God?"

"Well, capital 'G' God is different; that's just a figment of the mortals' imagination. I'm talking about the twelve Olympians," I explained. "We are the offspring of these gods."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "How do you know I'm one of them?" she asked.

In response I displayed the trident tattoo on my left forearm. "We are all marked by our parents just before birth," I explained. "We're demigods."

"What about me?" she asked, cocking her head.

"Of course," I answered. I took her left arm and turned it to show the dove marked there. "Your mother is Aphrodite."

She smiled. "Aphrodite?"

"Yes. Now," I said, standing up. "Come with me. I'll show you the Aphrodite cabin." I led her into it, which had large mirrors on the walls and a portrait of Aphrodite instead of a window. The room smelled like perfume. Elizabeth's face lit up.

"Well, this is your cabin, as you can see," I said. I put my hands on my hips. "So, what can you do?"

Elizabeth blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Follow me." I took her to the arena. The only person there was Anne Grey, reading _Romeo and Juliet_ as she leaned against the steps. As she'd once told me, sometimes the arena is the only place to get some quiet.

I handed Elizabeth a bow and a bunch of arrows from the armory. "Aim there," I said, pointing toward the targets.

Elizabeth fumbled with the bowstring and tried to notch the arrow. She yanked the string back and—_twang! _

The arrow stole the book from Anne's hands, spearing it clean through and pinning it to the wall. She glared at us, and I swear, if looks could kill, Elizabeth and I would be dead a hundred times over.

I gently took the weapons from her and stowed them in the armory. "Um…on second thought, I don't think archery is your strength."

I handed her a sword. "Let's try sword fighting," I suggested.

Elizabeth nodded, even though she looked nervous. I whipped out my sword and swung. She immediately dropped to the ground and curled up into a ball, her blade clanging. My sword swept over her head. I tucked it under my arm, put my hands on my hips and sighed, shaking my head.

The stables were next. I patted one of the pegasi. It bowed to me. _Hello,_ the horse said.

_Hello,_ I answered. _This is Elizabeth. I want to test her—to see if she can ride a pegasus. _

The pegasus whinnied and bobbed its head. _My name is Halima. I will be happy to allow this child to take riding lessons, lady._

I turned to Elizabeth. "Her name is Halima," I said, stroking the pegasus's mane. I draped a saddle over her back and motioned for Elizabeth to get on. She effortlessly mounted Halima and smiled widely, proud that she was able to do it.

"Okay, now walk her outside and take off," I instructed.

Elizabeth eyed me from her perch on Halima's back. "How do you know all of this?"

"My father is Poseidon," I reminded her. "He created horses from the waves of the ocean. Now fly." I pointed at the door.

Elizabeth nudged Halima outside and pushed off from the ground. I watched her for a second, then went back to the other pegasus, Linguini. Once, while rescuing another of my cousins, I'd found Castor chasing Linguini around the mortal city, trying to play a terrifying game of catch. After I'd saved him from my wolf, Linguini had stuck by me, kicking anyone else who tried to ride him.

_Linguini at your service, Mrs. Boss,_ the winged horse seemed to grin.

_Don't call me that,_ I told him. I didn't bother to saddle him—I just jumped on his back walked him outside. He spread his wings and took off in the air.

_On top of spaghetti, and covered with cheese, _sang the pegasus, _Linguini is awesome and—uh…not even Chinese! _

_That doesn't even make sense, _I told him.

_Don't judge, Mrs. Boss! _

He snapped at birds as we followed Halima and Elizabeth. I pulled Linguini to a standstill in midair, his wings flapping hard. I looked down on the land surrounding Half-Blood House. I froze.

I watched as three small figures bolted for the magical boundary line. They were being chased by a big group of monsters. Elizabeth was unknowingly flying Halima toward the big burly demons, who spotted her and waited for her to fly into range.

"Elizabeth!" I yelled. She looked up, but it was too late.

_Dive!_ I shouted at Linguini. He whinnied and dived straight down, toward Halima. _Get out of here!_ I told her.

I yanked Elizabeth onto my pegasus as quickly as possible. She was screaming in my ear as I shot a volley of arrows down into the yelling swarm of demons. Most of them dissolved into either flames or dust, but a few remained and sprinted toward the boundary line. I slid off Linguini's back and told him to take Elizabeth back to the stables.

"GO!" I shouted at them. Elizabeth shot me a fearful look, but took off as fast as Linguini could fly. I shrank my bow back to my bracelet and pulled out my sword. On the first swing, all of them exploded, leaving a coating of yellow powder and the strong smell of sulfur.

I whispered to some tree trunks carefully in Greek. Three dryads melted out of their trees in response, looking annoyed, but ready to help. I recognized them as Daphne, Cassiopeia, and Ariadne.

"Have you seen any half-bloods wandering around here?" I asked them.

The dryads looked at each other and nodded in unison. They deposited three demigods in front of me out of nowhere. "Three for the price of one," Daphne said.

I flicked a drachma into the air and they all disappeared. I heard them faintly argue over the Greek coin as I frowned at the demigods in on all fours in the dirt.

The girl stood up and brushed off her clothes. She had short black hair and dark violet eyes. She was wearing a dirty t-shirt and a pair of jeans, holding a large knife that I recognized immediately as Celestial bronze. It had the Greek letter eta carved on the blade. She gripped it tightly, her knuckles white.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her tightly.

"I'm trying to survive!" she exploded.

"Right," I said. "Doing a great job of that."

One of the boys grabbed the girl's shoulder. He whispered something in her ear. The boy turned to me. "Look, we don't want any trouble," he said. "I—we just want to be safe."

I eyed them. The boy was dirty and scratched, just like the girl. He had blond hair and blue eyes. The second boy was mud-caked and his blond hair was a rat's nest. I whistled and Linguini flew down and landed next to me. I put my hand on his mane.

_You dropped Elizabeth off at the house?_ I asked him.

_Yes, ma'm, Mrs. Boss, ma'm,_ he said.

_Don't call me that,_ I said immediately.

"What is _that?_" asked the girl, interrupting our conversation.

I gave her a dirty look. "This is a pegasus. His name is Linguini."

She raised an eyebrow. "Linguini?"

Linguini whinnied angrily, pounding the ground with his hooves. _There ain't nothing wrong with spaghetti! _I patted him to calm him down. I slipped him a sugar cube and he trotted off to crunch on his snack.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" one of the boys asked.

I straightened. "I'm Alice."

"Alice who?" the boy asked.

"Just Alice," I said. I looked around, wary of monsters behind every tree. "I'll explain everything, but we should cross the boundary line so we don't die."

I called Linguini and mounted him effortlessly. "Come on," I said expectantly. I grabbed the young boy's hand and pulled him onto Linguini's back, so that he was sitting in front of me.

_Watch the mane,_ Linguini warned. The boy had been tangling his fingers in the long black hair.

"Don't do that," I told him. I hauled the other boy up behind me by the hand and the girl climbed up after him, refusing my hand.

_Whoa, Mrs. Boss, _Linguini said, lurching a little. _I don't know if I can make it._

_You can,_ I urged. _Just fly, it's not that far._ Linguini whinnied and pushed off from the dirt. His wings flapped hard, trying to keep us airborne.

_A few more yards,_ I encouraged. Linguini skidded in a cloud of dust, just in front of Half-Blood House. I slipped off his back and fed him more sugar cubes before sending him off toward the stables. The children stared at me.

The girl's face was stony, and her hand did not loosen around her knife. "What's this all about?" she demanded.

I raised my eyebrows as a grapevine popped up over her head. "You're Diana Hunter, aren't you?"

Her face got even more suspicious. She opened her mouth to say something, but the younger boy tugged at her sleeve. "Diana, how does she know your name?"

Diana scowled. "Snitch," she muttered under her breath. The boy didn't release her sleeve.

The other boy looked back at me. "I'm Shawn," he said, holding out his hand. "Shawn Spencer."

I touched his hand briefly before turning back to the other boy. Over his head was a dove, the mark of Aphrodite. I suddenly realized who he was. "Elizabeth!" I yelled.

She poked her head out the Aphrodite cabin door. "James!" Elizabeth ran to her brother. James's face lit up when he saw her. They hugged each other. Elizabeth madly checked her twin for scrapes and cuts, demanding if he was okay.

"Geez, Elizabeth, you act like a mom," James rolled his eyes, but he didn't look too annoyed.

"Alice." Anne Grey appeared in the doorway.

"What?" I said.

"An Iris-message just came in," she told me. "It's Tyler."

I ran inside, realizing only then that Tyler, well, wasn't here. I heard everyone following me into the living room, skidding to a stop when they saw the head floating in the air.

"What is it?" I said.

"I went with Peter to find James and we got separated. I ended up at this school, and I had to lie and say that I'm a student. It's a boarding school in Illinois and I'm using one of the abandoned fireplaces. Anyway I found three demigods here and I need help. Peter took the watch, so I can't come back. There are monsters and demons crawling all over the place. They can't sniff the half-bloods out, because the kids have no idea who they are. There are at least two manticores and three empuses. I can't get them out alone," Tyler explained.

"I'm in," Peter said from behind James.

"There's no way I'm passing this up," Diana said. She glanced at Peter. "Hi. I'm Diana."

"Peter," Peter said.

"Well, I'm definitely not staying here," I said. Diana and Peter followed me outside, where Castor was waiting.

"What the—?" Diana backed away from Castor, hands raised cautiously.

"He won't bite," I said, laughing. We piled on his back.

The usual blur of colors and the chill of speed, and we were there. I glanced at Diana; she was blinking and staring around her in wonder. Peter chuckled, and I knew he was remembering his first time with Castor too.

We were standing in front of a two-story building with lots of windows. There were steps leading up to double doors. A ring of hills surrounded the school, and the sky was barely lit.

"Styx," I muttered.

"What?" Peter asked.

"The mortals will notice me. My uniform. I don't look a thing like a mortal," I cursed again.

"So true," Peter muttered under his breath.

I ignored him. We jogged up the steps and into the school. Almost immediately a man blocked our path. He brightened when he saw me.

"That's a great costume," he laughed. "What are you?"

"What?"

"Uhh…she's a hunter," Peter threw in. "It took her forever to make it. I didn't have any time to get a costume."

"I didn't _want_ to get a costume," Diana rolled her eyes. The man laughed again and stepped out of our way. We continued down the hall and through the doors labeled _Gym_.

I blinked. The room was hung with streamers and balloons and weird, eerie music was blaring through the speakers. The mortals were wearing unusual clothing. "Gods, mortals are strange creatures," I murmured. Diana snorted. I ignored her.

"Where's Tyler?" Peter asked.

"Alice! Peter!" Tyler yelled, pushing his way through dancing children.

"Does that answer your question?" Diana smiled.

"Where's the manticore?" I asked immediately.

"I'm sorry, what _is_ a manticore?" Peter interrupted.

"I hope you never find out," I said nervously.

"We can't just stand here," Diana said suddenly. "We'll stand out." She grabbed Tyler's hand. "Come on, brother." She disappeared with him into the crowd.

Peter and I stayed where we were. I looked around the room, anxiously searching for demigods in danger. I didn't see anything.

Diana and Tyler danced closer to us. "Did you see anything?" Diana hissed. I shook my head. "Tyler," I whispered. "Who were the demigods?"

"Er…Elijah Andrews, Joan DeWitt, and Miranda Bowman," he said.

"Son of Hephaestus, daughter of Ares, daughter of Apollo," I recited. He nodded.

"Whoa," Peter said. "My sister is here?"

"Yes—wait, Tyler is that them?" I pointed to the gymnasium doors. A tough-looking girl and a muscled boy were arguing intently, looking around nervously.

"Yeah. That's them," Tyler said. I grabbed Peter's hand and began shoving through groups of mortals. I reached them and released Peter.

"Joan DeWitt? Elijah Andrews?" I asked breathlessly.

"Yeah?" they both said.

"Do I know you?" Elijah asked. He was big and burly, with curly dark hair and a square jaw, with an anvil tattooed into his forearm.

"No. But we know you," Tyler said, repeating the words I had spoken to Anne so long ago.

"We have to leave. Now," I said. "Where's Miranda?"

Joan blinked. "Miranda? Miranda Bowman?" She scratched at her left arm, where a dark spear tipped with red was marked.

"She's over there," Elijah said suddenly. He pointed to the opposite side of the room.

"We got it," Tyler said. He motioned for Diana to follow him and started pushing his way to the other side of the room. Joan and Elijah stared at me. I backed up against the doubled doors.

"Come with us," I whispered to the demigods. I felt a tightening around my waist and looked down in surprise: a tail had snaked around my midsection. I yelped as I got yanked back into the black hallway.

The double doors closed and the thing that grabbed me threw me backward. I slammed into a wall and slid onto the floor. My head spun and my vision blurred around the edges, but luckily I'd had a lot of practice seeing in the dark while hunting. I touched my bracelet silently and pulled a couple of arrows out of my quiver. I heard banging on the gym doors.

"Alice! Alice are you okay?" voices sounded faintly through the doors. Suddenly they burst open and I caught a slight glimpse of Peter in the shadows. His eyes locked on me, and he opened his mouth, but I pressed my finger to my lips. I hugged the wall as I crept over to his side. Then I heard something whistling behind me and Peter flew at me. He tackled me and we skidded a few feet. We were both breathing heavily.

"Don't…move," I whispered. I turned my head as much as I could and looked up and down the hall. I shifted to the left and suddenly there were a bunch of _thud_s as a group of spikes landed in the floor where our heads had just been.

"What _is_ that?" Peter wondered quietly.

"A manticore," I whispered, closing my eyes. "On the count of three, roll to your left and hide in a corner."

"But—" Peter began.

"Three!"

Peter obeyed, rolling off away from me and slipping into the shadows. I jumped up and shot six arrows into the darkness. There were six _clunk_s as the arrows bounced off the monster's armor. I screamed as something slammed into my side, throwing me through a window. The glass shattered, leaving a combination of manticore spikes and glass shards in my side. My blood soaked through my tunic, but I got up anyway, wincing.

I realized that I had crashed right into the middle of the dancing mortals. They stared at me as I jumped back through the broken window and shot arrows into the large dark thing crouching near the wall. I didn't want to think about what they were seeing. The manticore screeched and whirled on me and finally I saw it clearly.

It had a man's head attached to a lion's body, a tail tipped with razor-sharp spikes, and dragon feet. Quickly I slid into the shadows and searched for Peter's shoulder.

"Distract it," I muttered to him under my breath. He nodded and jumped right in the manicure's path.

"Hey ugly!" he shouted, waving his arms in its face. "Go back to Tartarus!" The monster screeched and advanced on Peter. I slipped behind it and jumped on its back; it barely noticed me. I found a large bare patch at the base of its neck and plunged my hunting knife deep into its back.

It growled angrily at me and threw me off its back. I slid and jumped up as soon as I could. My side ached, but I managed to leap back on the manticore's back and rip out my knife. I searched feverishly for a weak spot as the monster bucked and tried to kill Peter at the same time. I desperately began ripping out its armor, hacking at its neck. Demon slime seeped out of the wound and the manticore finally slammed me against a locker, its claws at my throat. It was dying for sure, but it wasn't dead—yet.

I lurched dangerously as the demon slashed at me one more time. It released me. I dropped to the floor. My side was soaked with blood and I suddenly couldn't move. I passed out.

* * *

Back at Camp Half-Blood, Miranda began inspecting the glass and spikes in my side, waking me up. Anne poked her head in, and then sent Joan DeWitt to get some ambrosia and nectar. She was confused, but returned with the godly food.

Anne stuffed some ambrosia into my mouth and poured nectar onto the puncture wounds. Then she plucked the shards out one by one. I grabbed Miranda's hand.

"Ow," I muttered. "Ow, ow, ow!" I gripped her hand so hard her fingertips turned blue, but all she did was wince. The spikes and glass clattered into a bowl as Anne finished pulling them from my side. She shoved the glass of nectar into my hand and made me drink some. I screwed up my face as my leg started to right itself.

Miranda and Anne helped me to Poseidon Beach; once I hit the water, I could feel my bones straightening and reforming back to normal, my bruises healing.

My life returned to normal as well, if you can call a demigod's life 'normal'.

I gave Elizabeth Bentley riding lessons daily. I taught Miranda Bowman how to shoot an arrow with deadly accuracy (even though she preferred healing). Lily Bloom took great delight that she could make flowers burst out of the ground. Peter Montgomery spent his days occasionally practicing archery and writing in a small book. Twin sons of Hermes appeared—Robb and Connor Heist—and continually played their clever tricks on unsuspecting demigods. Shawn Spencer was good at archery, like his sister Miranda, but he really excelled at music. He found a lyre lying around in the Apollo room and spent his days climbing up on the roof of the house and plucking the strings.

I was trying to persuade Shawn to trade his lyre for a bow when Diana and Peter appeared at the edge of the trees. Diana seemed to be arguing with the boy beside her. I turned my attention back to Shawn, who finally sighed and shot an arrow into the outside ring of the target.

"That was good," I assured him.

"I'd trade it for my lyre any day," he grumbled.

"Try notching at least three," I said. I demonstrated and sprayed the target with silver arrows.

Shawn nodded and tried it. I patted him on the back and told him to keep practicing.

"…and this is Alice, camp director," said a voice from behind me. I turned around and Peter was standing there. Diana was behind him and she didn't look happy.

"Hi," I said, smiling.

The boy eyed me with disbelief. "You look too young to be a director," he decided.

I laughed. I turned around to let Shawn Spencer take a break, but he was gone. I glanced up at the roof, and sure enough, there he was, sitting with his lyre in his lap.

"Shawn!" I groaned. He ignored me and continued to play his music. I rolled my eyes. I turned back to the boy and studied him, craning my head so I could see the symbol on his arm: a shuck of corn, otherwise known as Demeter's mark.

"Hello, Brian Bush," I said, inclining my head. "That's a powerful gift."

The boy blinked. "What are you talking about?"

I pointed at the ground. The dry dirt at his feet had suddenly turned into a thick carpet of grass, adorned with flowers that curled affectionately around Brian's feet. "You're lucky. Your sister Lily can't even do that. The plants go crazy whenever she's around, though," I told him.

I turned around, sighing, preparing to climb up after Shawn and drag him back down. "Shawn, come down here!" I called. He shook his head and stuck his tongue out at me. I gave up and started to walk around, observing the demigods go about their business.

I smiled as I watched Elijah Andrews get a dreamy look on his face as Miranda Bowman walked by him. Elizabeth Bentley was flying around on Halima and laughing. Nobody went near Linguini—they just assumed he was mine, since I was the only one that rode him. A couple of other pegasi had wandered into the magical boundaries as well; we'd put them in the stables.

At nightfall, I blew my hunting horn and everyone gathered in the dining area and sat at their tables. Brian Bush looked confused, so I directed him to the Demeter table, where Lily was sitting, her feet swinging back and forth a foot above the ground.

Miranda Bowman had somehow convinced me to play capture-the-flag after the meal, so I watched her herd everyone into the forest, right to Aphrodite Rock.

"Rules," Miranda said, her voice carrying loud and clear. "No maiming or killing is allowed. All magic items are allowed. The flag can't be tossed…"

I turned away and found myself facing Aphrodite Rock. It was true to its name: white quartz formed into the shape of the goddess of love. Nobody had carved it; it had just formed that way. The likeness to Aphrodite was incredible. Every detail seemed to have been captured. I patted the arm of the rock and a silvery line spread from the sides, making a boundary line.

I watched my team strap on their armor. Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, and Dionysus. A roar from somewhere in the forest reminded me of the stocked woods. I hoped they wouldn't interfere. I hoped this game wouldn't go result in disaster, like Miranda had convinced me it wouldn't.

* * *

**Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I don't have any good cliffhangers. I just get writer's block whenever I try to make them up, and besides, it's too much effort to go back and make up some. I know these chapters go kinda slow, but you just wait: I've got some serious twists later on. :) rtgi5 (sorry I sneezed and hit the keyboard. lol) **

**Again, thanks to those three people who reviewed! BTW, any suggestions on how to get more?**

**Kisses! -Alice **

**P.S. To anybody who might be wondering, I did not name my character after myself, as 'Alice O'Hare' is just a pseudonym (again, I can't stress the fact that you never know what weirdos are on the Internet enough). I actually named myself after my character. Well, ta-ta!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hiya, people! I just wanted to gush a little about loving this website. 'CAUSE I REALLY DO! I love the idea that people could read my junk and openly criticize me without any real danger. Like me not liking their comments and strangeling them. See how lovely the Internet is? **

**Well? What're you waiting for? Stop reading my babbling and get on with it!**

* * *

**5/ **

"Can't believe we lost," Peter whined.

"That was your fault," I reminded him. "You were the one who tripped the booby trap."

"Shut up," he grumbled. "You shot me in the foot, remember?"

"It was an accident," I said defensively. "Connor fell on me."

"Because Travis put a spider down my shirt," Connor said, appearing next to us.

"Because Connor set my clothes on fire," Travis said.

The conch horn interrupted us. "Breakfast call," I said.

I slid into the Poseidon table, where the golden plates and crystal glasses had already been set. I told my plate what I wanted, sighing. When it was my turn, I dropped a piece of my meal into the fire. "Poseidon," I muttered.

After breakfast we all piled into one of the rooms in the downstairs hall. Anne Grey and I had planned to send out some of the most skilled and/or experienced campers to find more of our cousins. The Big House seemed to understand what we needed, and grew a room labeled 'the Seeker's room'. It was fully stocked with everything a Seeker could want: clothes, backpacks, money, godly food.

The screen at the far wall was listed with names, two Seekers and a mark. I had given my list to Elijah Andrews, who had programmed them into his precious generator.

I was paired with Peter Montgomery. Our mark was Maggie Collins, daughter of Aphrodite. Apparently she and her father worked at a bank, even though she was only thirteen.

We took Castor to the bank, and was disappointed that it was filled with mortals. I was forced to switch to mortal clothes. Gross.

Together we walked into the bank. I stood off to the side where nobody would notice me. Peter wandered to the waiting area. I picked up a mortal magazine and flipped through it absently, watching Maggie Collins out of the corner of my eye.

I observed that she was a rather loud girl with wavy red hair, full lips, and large eyes. Nearly all the mortal males' eyes were on Maggie, which was predictable, considering she was a daughter of Aphrodite. Strangely, no one—no _thing_—had threatened the girl yet.

After a while two men came into the bank. The first was young and highly nervous. The second was older and visibly stronger, every so often pushing the first boy along. I watched them with caution. Suddenly there was a loud click and somebody shouted, "Everybody on the ground now!"

It was deathly silent as everyone came to the center of the room and laid on the tiles. Even Peter moved to follow the man's orders, his blue gaze locked onto the man's hand, which held what even I recognized as a gun. I didn't leave my spot; no mortal could force me to do anything. I glanced toward Peter and saw his eyes were filled with concern.

The imbecile mortal realized that I wasn't on the floor with the others. "You!" He jabbed his weapon at me, then at the ground. "Get on the floor!"

I stood, but I didn't move to follow his orders. The mortals on the ground looked up at me with a combination of concern, fear, and sympathy.

The mortal became so frustrated with me that he stomped over and reached for my arm. "I wouldn't—" Peter called, but it was too late. I glanced down at his hand on my forearm then back up at him.

I grabbed his wrist and ducked under his arm, holding it at a dangerous angle. I kicked the back of his knee, placed my foot on his back and yanked his arm upward; there was a pop and a scream as his shoulder dislocated. Then I pushed his face against the tiles with my foot and pointed his own weapon at the back his head. I pulled the slide and put my finger on the trigger threateningly, silently daring the other man to attack me.

He was stupid enough to do so. I caught the strange glint in his eyes; it was easy to anticipate his next move. Before he could even raise his gun at me, I changed the direction of my own and pulled the trigger. The shot blew him backwards with a yell.

"Alice!" Peter scolded.

"What?" I said indignantly. I dug my heel into the burglar's back. "He pointed it at me!"

I kept the thief down until the mortal police appeared. They didn't even register that I was practically a fugitive in their world. They just took the gun from me, put the two robbers into a police car and, after reassuring all the mortals in the room, drove away.

"That was really cool," Peter congratulated me afterwards.

I merely smiled. "Let's get our mark."

He led the way over to Maggie. "Maggie Collins?" Peter asked.

She looked up and brushed her hair out of her face. "Yes?" She looked between Peter and me. "Are you cops?" Her gaze lingered on me suspiciously.

I shook my head. "I'm afraid not. Come with us."

"Why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

I sighed. "Miss Collins, it's for your own safety," I said.

"Listen Maggie: this," Peter gestured around the room. "This is nothing compared to what _will_ happen to you if you don't come with us."

Her eyes widened. "What could be worse than this?"

Peter and I exchanged glances. "Let's hope that you never find out, Maggie," I said. "Now come on, we have to go before anyone recognizes us."

We all walked outside and hailed a cab to take us to the outskirts of the city. "Are you sure you want out, Miss? There ain't nothing here," the driver said, eyeing me.

I tossed a roll of bills at him and he decided not to complain. I waited until he drove away, then took Maggie's arm. Peter put his hand on my shoulder and pressed his watch.

We were standing outside the house. Maggie was blinking and looking around. I patted her on the back reassuringly. "Come on, Maggie. Let's go meet your siblings."

I led her inside. "Elizabeth! James! Get down here!" I called. I turned to Maggie; she looked extremely confused.

"What is going on here?" Maggie asked. She stepped away from me.

"Maggie," I sighed. "You are the daughter of an Olympian."

She blinked. "My mom was an athlete?'

I laughed. "No, child," I said. "Your mother is the Olympian Aphrodite, goddess of love."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Oh hey Alice! I'm glad you're back—ooh who is this?" Elizabeth smiled widely at Maggie.

"Hey Elizabeth," I said. I flashed a smile at her. "This is Maggie."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and asked me a silent question: _Who?_

_Sister,_ I mouthed. Her mouth became a round _O_. "Still in shock," I said, patting Maggie's back.

"Ohh," Elizabeth nodded. She smiled pityingly at Maggie.

"Listen, Maggie, this is Elizabeth Bentley. She's your sister," I explained to Maggie.

"But I'm an only child," Maggie said, looking dazed.

"Actually you have more than five siblings," I said. "Elizabeth, show her the Aphrodite room and explain."

Elizabeth slung her arm over her sister's shoulders and took her away. I removed my crescent pin and shook out my hair. I walked into the Artemis room to change. I felt better when I was in my usual uniform. I returned the clothes and purse to the basement and made my way to the stables.

Linguini seemed to be waiting for me when I got there. His first words proved me right.

_Hiya, Mrs. Boss! What took ya so long? _He shook out his black mane, whinnying.

I smiled. _Nothing, _I answered._ But I'm here now, aren't I?_

_Hell, yeah, you are!_

I laughed.

_Wanna go for a ride? _he said, offering me his back.

I grinned.

See, I used to be afraid of heights, but that was before I met Linguini. I just found riding a pegasus so relaxing; the floating sensation combined with Linguini's mental singing made it comfortable. I used to be afraid of dead things as well, but I got over that years ago.

That was one of the bad things about being a demigod. A child of Athena might be scared of spiders, due to Athena's punishment of Arachne. A child of, say, Apollo, might be afraid of snakes, because of Apollo's slaying of the serpent Python.

We inherited almost all the good things from our Olympian parents. A child of Demeter, like Lily Bloom, could control plants. A daughter of Zeus could make lightning and weather her servants. Things like that.

A badly-aimed arrow whizzed by my head, pulling me from my thoughts. I tapped my bracelet and sent one back. A second or two later, another arrow with a piece of paper stuck onto it flew up; I caught it and plucked off the note, letting the arrow fall below me.

_Alice- a huge wolf just showed up with a kid on its back. We figured out who the girl was, but the wolf won't leave. It just growls at whoever comes near it—it almost bit off Maggie's hand. _

_–Elizabeth Bentley_

I crumpled up the note, dropped it, then touched my knees to Linguini's barrel. _Dive!_

The pegasus whinnied in response and the suddenly the ground was flying up toward us—until we were about three feet above the ground. I patted him and slid off his back. A humongous gray wolf was resting in front of the house, a bored, human-like expression on its face. I recognized it immediately. It was—

"Castor!" I cried. I ran forward and threw my arms around his massive neck. He barked a laugh at me and poked me with his nose. I ruffled his fur and hugged him again before going inside the Big House.

Maggie Collins was bending over the couch, where a girl was lying unconscious. Elizabeth Bentley swooped in as soon as I walked in. _Mercedes Morris, _she mouthed.

I nodded. I stepped over to the girl to study her. She had a black bruise on her forehead, which was probably what knocked her unconscious. She wore a permanent scowl, even in sleep. She had a square jaw and mud-colored, stringy short hair. Her nose was slightly pointed. I reached over and turned her arm so I could see her tattoo: a bloody spear.

The girl suddenly groaned and tried to sit up. Elizabeth pushed her back down.

"Where am I?" the girl demanded weakly. "Who are you?"

"Listen, Mercedes," I said, kneeling by the couch.

"How do you know my name?" she interrupted.

I gave Maggie a skeptical look. "I just know," I said, turning back to Mercedes. "I'm Alice. This is Maggie and this is Elizabeth." I looked at Maggie. "Can you run and get Joan? She should probably explain this. She is her sister after all."

Maggie nodded and ran off. I walked back outside. I rubbed Castor between the ears again and hugged him. "I missed you," I told him. He grunted in response and shoved his nose into my shoulder.

"Ahem," a voice said.

I turned around and saw that Tyler was standing behind me, eyeing Castor. The wolf growled. I patted him to calm him down.

"Where did you get _that?_" Tyler asked.

It took effort to keep my voice cool. "This is Castor. I met him a while back."

"Humph," was Tyler's response.

I looked up at him, puzzled. "What's the matter?" He didn't answer. "What?" I asked, exasperated.

"Father is making me and Diana go back to school," he said with a deep frown on his face.

"That's bad?" I asked.

He shot me a skeptical look. "His exact words were 'you both need to be more like your aunt Athena'."

I shrugged a little. "Maybe you do." His expression didn't change. "Tyler, you still have time. It's only February."

Tyler's face softened a little. "Yeah, I guess," he muttered. He stalked away. I stared after him, then took Castor into the woods to hunt.

* * *

The months passed like seconds, and suddenly it was August.

By then I was used to the schedule of Camp Half-Blood: attempting to persuade Shawn Spencer to pick up a bow, smiling as Elijah Andrews stared at Miranda Bowman as she passed by, pairing up with Elizabeth Bentley and trying to teach her Ancient Greek and history.

Tyler Bryce, Diana Hunter, and Peter Montgomery all returned to school. They grumbled over it, but they went anyway. Slowly all the demigods went back to the mortal world. Then it was just me and Castor, living out our days hunting and practicing battle skills. Soon Castor and I could fight together, perfectly synchronized.

One night I was walking in the forest, killing small game to feed Castor. It wasn't easy-the herd of peacocks near the north end of camp insisted on scaring the animals away as soon as I got near them. After a while I gathered my catch (ten rabbits), turned around, and froze at the image floating in midair.

Her expression was chaotic. "Be warned, Daughter of the Sea God," she hissed. "I am rising. And I am coming." I could almost feel her wrath already, chilling me to the bone. Images of her reign as queen were...horrifying.

But the worst part was, even after the image faded, Hecate's glowing crimson eyes bored into mine, igniting all the fears I'd ever had. A shudder ran through my body. I dropped the rabbits.

* * *

**Oooh! What will Alice do to protect herself? Can she even try? Will my triple questions ever get any better? Check back soon to find out! **

**Oh, I almost forgot. How do you guys think I'm doing on my first fanfic? (I think it's awesome, but that's just me. Good thing I'm not a narcissist. lol) ****I've already got a sequel in mind. *crowd gasps* *someone faints* Shhhh! I can't say anything yet-they'll kill me if I do-but I CAN tell you it's kinda sorta...AWESOME. lol. :) **

**Well, *sigh* the time has come for a closure. I know, I know, it's devastating...JK, I know it's lame. So, tell me what you think! Any comment at all will be accepted and thought through thoroughly one by one. :D (not really... lol)**

**Kisses! -Alice**


	6. Chapter 6

**So, to continue from last time...why did Hecate show herself to Alice? Is that part of her master plan? Why am I questioning my own work? Why don't I have more reviews? Are people even reading my fanfic? Why are you still reading my crappy intro? **

**(Disclaimer: As always, I do not own any of the ideas I have used and/or altered in this fanfic. I only own the characters/places I have created.) **

* * *

**6/**

She vanished. I stood stunned for a moment, then ran to the Big House. I grabbed a canteen of nectar, a bag of ambrosia, a box of matches, and a stack of mortal money, stuffing them into an old backpack. I checked to make sure my leather pouch still held some drachmas. Peter was closest (not that it mattered) so I got on Castor's back and set off.

I found Peter's home, but not easily. He lived in a rundown apartment, on the tenth floor. It was early morning by now; I had lost track of the time. I made Castor wait at ground level, then climbed the fire escape nine floors and stepped silently onto the tenth. I looked in the window, ready to call his name, but I heard a woman's voice yelling, "Peter, get up! You're going to miss your bus!" and I punched the face of Peter's watch, rendering myself invisible before Peter or the woman could see me.

Castor and I followed Peter for blocks on end. I became worried I would be seen; my shadow and Castor's rippled on the buildings from time to time, and I got a lot of confused looks from mortals, who glimpsed a shadow with no owner, but Peter did not see us. At least, that's what I thought.

We followed him to school and watched him in all his classes. It was harder than I thought; I had to herd Castor into the classroom and keep him quiet throughout the entire thing. He wasn't happy about it, but he kept himself busy with a large textbook, worrying it away with his huge teeth and ripping the paper.

When he started gnawing on a desk, I pushed him outside and told him to stay within a two-mile-radius of the school. He entertained himself with chasing squirrels.

I followed Peter out the door and into the hall, wishing I could get him alone. "Peter!" I whispered. He whirled around, but he was lost in the crowd of mortals before I could say more.

Peter became more nervous after that, paranoid even. His eyes never rested on an object for more than a minute. Castor and I followed him throughout the day, but his mortal friends (_friend,_ I should say) never left him alone.

I became so frustrated I was ready to drag Peter onto Castor's back and disappear, but just as I was reaching for his shoulder I was swept away by a crowd of mortals. My fingertips barely touched him and he turned around, a mix of fear and suspicion in his eyes.

I gritted my teeth. Ugh! I heaved myself onto a row of lockers and sighed. Castor lay down below my feet and growled at mortals passing by. We were both invisible, but the mortals looked confused anyway, like when their minds see something too complex for their eyes to understand.

Finally I got my chance—but not the way I would've wanted. Caster and I were following Peter down the halls—again—when the wall exploded and in rushed a miniature army.

I drew my sword immediately. Somehow I turned visible again, but I didn't care. I was busy stabbing demons left and right.

Peter didn't see me, but I couldn't blame him: he was fighting off as many demons as possible with a broken flagpole.

I ran to help him. He didn't seem to need it; he had killed almost all the demons—empuses, dracaenae, and hellhounds. Almost.

The lone empuse he had missed leaped on him and prepared to rip out his jugular. I saw Peter's eyes widen impossibly as he stared at her fangs. I pulled an arrow from my quiver, tapped my bracelet, and sent the arrow through the demon's throat. She choked on it and disintegrated, leaving Peter coated in yellow demon dust.

He coughed and shook dust off his head, then looked up at me. "Alice?"

I tapped my bow, turning it back into a bracelet. "I've been following you all day!" I complained, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. "Mortals are so annoying."

"So are you here to drag me back to camp?" he asked, changing the subject.

I nodded, stiffening a little. "You won't believe what happened."

I had to take Peter back to his apartment, a run-down five story building. As soon as he opened the door, his mother tackled him in a hug.

"Peter!"

Peter flushed. "Mom."

Her eyes fastened on me and she practically shoved Peter aside. "And you brought a _girl_ home!"

"_Mom!"_

I pursed my lips and got ready to correct her, but a loud crashing drew my attention. "Oh, gods, that's Castor," I realized.

Castor was running up and down the street, the pole still attached to his leash ripping through buildings. "Castor!" I shouted. "Stop!"

He skidded to a stop in front of me and stared at me with his big dark eyes. "Bad!" I scolded, pulling a tuft of his fur. But I couldn't stay mad at my pet for long. I hugged him, and then started to untangle his leash from the pole.

Peter clumped glumly down the stairs and onto the sidewalk. He blinked as he looked around at the destroyed street. "Whoa," he said. "Did he do all this?"

I petted Castor on the head. "Yes. He's a bad wolf."

Peter grinned suddenly. "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" he said.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Let's split up." I took off my borrowed watch and gave it back to him. "I'll go get Anne—you get Tyler."

Peter nodded. "Got it. Meet back at Camp Half-Blood?"

"Yes," I confirmed.

I swung my leg over Castor's back. "Be careful," I said. Peter gave a tight nod. I leaned forward and Castor took off.

As usual, the world flashed by in a whir of colors, and I couldn't make out anything. Castor slowed, then stopped, and he was standing in the street in front of a house—Anne's house.

I jogged up the steps of the house and knocked on the door. It opened, and a man was standing in the doorway. "Yes?" he said.

"Mr. Grey?" I asked.

The man looked me up and down. "Yes?" he said again.

"I'm here for Anne," I said. I looked past him into the house.

He looked a little confused, but yelled into the house, "Anne!"

She came down the hall. "What?" She saw me. "Alice!"

"Come on," I said. "Let's go. We've gotta go pick up Diana on the way to the house."

Anne's father put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you the same Alice who kidnapped my girl from school?" he asked coldly. "You could go to jail for that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Mortal laws do not apply to this situation. And they do not apply to me." I turned my attention back to Anne. "Come on, Anne, we have to go before she sends someone for you."

"She?"

"You don't want to know," I told her. "Go get a few things and hurry up."

Anne didn't need to ask questions. She was smart enough for that. She just nodded and ran down the hall.

Mr. Grey seemed to be in shock. Anne came back, kissed her father on the cheek and ran out the door. She climbed onto Castor's back and waited patiently for me.

"Mr. Grey, Anne will be back next winter for school. No cellular communication is permitted, but I assure you she will be fine," I told him. He nodded, still in a daze.

I walked back swiftly to Castor and jumped up on his back. He grunted and took off.

It was only midday, so Diana would be in school still. I slid off Castor's back. "Well, come on," I said.

We quickly found Diana's classroom; luckily she was sitting by the window. I tapped quietly on the glass, and she looked up in surprise. When she saw me, her eyes widened, but she understood. She raised her hand, said something to the teacher, and left the room.

She ran out the building with a backpack over her shoulder. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked breathlessly.

"We have to go. Peter's getting your brother," I said.

She nodded and ran past me to climb onto Castor's back. I jumped on in front of Diana. We left for Camp Half-Blood before anyone could notice we were there at all.

I walked to the living room. I froze. Sitting by the flames of the fire was a young girl in a plain brown dress. I recognized her immediately as my aunt Hestia, goddess of the hearth. I bowed to her. "Lady Hestia."

"Hello, Alice," the goddess murmured. She looked up at me with big, glowing red eyes. I sat across from her.

She smiled absently at me. "You are the first to talk to me," she said, a little sad. "I am the least important of the Olympians, and I fade into the background. Everyone passes by Hestia—they see me, but they do not _see_."

Footsteps echoed from the house, and Hestia's head snapped up. I turned around to look, but when I glanced back, the goddess was gone. Anne ran into the room.

"Alice," she said breathlessly. She looked down at me with a confused expression on her face. "What are you doing?"

I glanced at the fire but stood. "Nothing. What is it?"

"Elijah Andrews and Miranda Bowman just got back," she said. "And they've got two boys with them—they say their names are Mathew and Devon Harding, but Joan is getting suspicious," Anne said.

"Well, they're on the list," I said. I started toward the Ares room, where they were most likely to be. Sure enough, two boys (clearly twins) were sitting on the couch.

Joan DeWitt looked up. "Oh, there you are Alice," she said. She pointed to the boys. "These fakers—"

I held up my hand to stop her. "They say their names are Matthew and Devon Harding. They _are _on the list, and they wouldn't be here if they weren't half-bloods. The boundary line would have repelled them had they been mortal," I said.

"Half-bloods?" one of the boys interrupted.

"'Demigods' is the official term," I said. I raised an eyebrow. "And you are…?"

"Matt Harding," the boy said, holding out his hand.

I eyed it and turned to the other boy. "You must be Devon," I said. He nodded.

"What's this about demigods and half-bloods?" Matt asked.

"Every person in this room is a half-blood," I said. "Including you two."

"Half-what?"

"Half human, half Greek god," Anne said from across the room.

"What?" the twins said together, sounding alarmed.

"Suck it up, pansies," Joan sneered. "If we're siblings then I'm not gonna stand for anymore wimps in this camp."

The boys stiffened instantly, their identical beady eyes fixed on their sister.

I blinked, preparing to roll my eyes, but suddenly...I wasn't there anymore. I mean, I wasn't in the house. I was standing in a _huge_ cave. It was beautiful, in an eerie way. The cave walls were glittering with streaks of gold and multi-colored gems.

The cave floor was rimmed with flower beds. The trees and flowers were carved from silver and precious stones that shone even in darkness.

At the far end of the cave, obsidian steps led to a wide hall lit by torches and guarded by the dead. I cautiously moved into the hall and saw two thrones: one as black as pitch, and the other white marble etched with gold.

One figure materialized on the small throne: a woman dressed in a black velvet dress and a crown of gold around her head. Her black hair was swept up in an elaborate, noble-looking hairstyle. The woman's expression was proud, but despite her appearance, she looked pale and out of place in the black palace.

She stood and took a small step forward, the hem of her dress brushing the floor. I recognized her instantly; I bowed and knelt at her feet.

"I am Persephone," she said. Persephone was the goddess of springtime, and the daughter of Demeter. She was also the queen of the Underworld, and the wife of Hades. Why she had called me to her realm was unclear, but the gods were often that way.

"My lady," I said with my head bowed.

The goddess looked around nervously. "It is against my husband's wishes," she said. "He prefers to stay out of other's affairs—both mortal and immortal. But I feel that you demigods could use my guidance."

"I welcome it, Queen Persephone," I said without looking up.

"I am sure you know, but Hecate—that insufferable goddess of magic—is rising. Thanks to you and your demigods, she has not been able to recruit many half-bloods. But there is a war brewing. Because of her magic tricks, even the gods have lost sight of her." Persephone frowned at that. "I expect you to keep this information entirely to yourself and your group of half-bloods: Hecate is building an army. If the Olympians must know, I did not breathe a word of this—and neither did my husband," Persephone said, her eyes hard.

"Of course, my lady," I said.

"Now, return, and be cautious. The child of my lord is on his way."

The queen waved her hand, and the palace of Hades disappeared before I could say anything.

I blinked again, and I was suddenly standing back in the house. "Alice?" Anne asked carefully. "Are you okay? You kind of shimmered like a mirage for a second, and you got this weird expression on your face…"

"I'm fine," I said. I was shaken, though I was determined not to show it. "I need an emergency council. Now."

Anne started to protest, but I left before she could finish her sentence. I ran into Peter in the hall—literally. I was going so fast that when Peter and I collided, we were both thrown back onto our butts.

Peter's red-gold hair was ruffled, like he had been rubbing his head a lot. He stood up; mussing his hair some more, he grabbed my hands and pulled me up.

I straightened my circlet. "Sorry," I said to Peter.

He cocked his head, staring at me intently. "You seem kind of distracted," he noted. "Are you okay?"

I frowned worriedly and shook my head. "I'm not okay," I admitted. "I need an emergency council."

I ran back down the hall, sliding down the spiral banister. I blew a long, low note on my hunting horn and immediately the head counselors gathered in the basement. I locked the door and we sat around the circular table in the center of the room.

"I have bad news," I said.

"Great—" Robb Heist muttered.

"—just what we need," Connor finished.

"I can't tell you who told me, but Hecate is coming. A war is brewing, and I need you. All of you."

"Who's Hecate again?" Joan DeWitt called out.

"The goddess of magic," Anne Grey hissed at her.

"My source tells me that she is building an army and coming to Camp Half-Blood, intending to burn it to the ground and kill us all—unless, of course, we surrender to her," I said grimly. "From this information, I think she wants to bring down Olympus—and her first step is to get rid of us—the heroes."

"But why are we so important?" Elijah Andrews asked. "I mean, we're just kids."

The demigods nodded and murmured in agreement. Anne spoke up. "If Olympus is in danger, who is going to protect it?" she said.

"The gods," Tyler Bryce said.

"Yes," Anne said. "But if they can't handle it—no disrespect intended—who are they going to call to help them defend Olympus?"

"Us," Peter said. "They need us for protection. We're all part of Hecate's plan to bring down the gods."

"Well," I said. "Let's hope that _if _the gods fall, so will Hecate."

The council didn't respond.

"Council adjourned," Robb announced, and on that happy note, the demigods separated to report to their siblings.

* * *

The next few weeks were a frenzy of recruiting, and fear. No one showed it, but I could tell that they were all afraid. Except for the Ares kids: they eagerly anticipated the bloodlust of a war against Hecate.

One surprise did turn up, a boy named John Gusterson. Unfortunately for him, he met the Stoll twins first, and they christened him 'Gus'. It seemed Gus was a child of Dionysus, which was good for him. Tyler Bryce and Diana Hunter seemed pleased to have him as their brother and began giving him a tour of Camp Half-Blood.

I found something interesting that day—a new door. I guess the house had sprouted one. It was obsidian, with an image of Hades's Helm of Darkness carved in it.

I tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. I guessed that the door would need the touch of a child of Hades. But we didn't have any child of Hades. Was the house trying to tell me something? I decided that we needed to share the information Persephone had given me with the gods.

I left, yelling, "Peter! Tyler!" into the house. I told them about what I needed to do.

Tyler and I were waiting outside when Peter trudged out with his backpack. He slipped something into my hand. I looked down, and was surprised to see my transportation watch sitting in my palm.

I grabbed Peter's hand, and pushed my watch back into it. He looked up at me in surprise, but I just smiled. "Keep it. It's from your dad anyway—and plus, I have Castor."

I mounted the wolf and hauled Peter up after me. Tyler grabbed my hand, and I pulled him up. I whispered the word 'Olympus' into his ear. That got him excited, and we got there faster than usual.

Peter stared up at the palace of the gods, his mouth open. Tyler and I smiled at each other, and dragged him along. One of the heavenly guards stopped us at the gates of the palace.

"I need an audience with Lord Zeus," I prompted.

The guard just shook his head. "It's about _her_," Peter burst out.

Nothing. Tyler gripped the hilt of his sword. "If I stab him in the face, you think he'll move?" he muttered.

The guard paled and disappeared in a whirl of gold. Tyler looked extremely proud of himself. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and strode into the palace of the gods.

No one stopped us. We walked right into the throne room and stood in the center; a blinding flash erupted and the twenty-foot tall gods were seated on their thrones.

None of the gods wore happy expressions. Dionysus, with his bloodshot eyes and blue-black hair, nodded curtly to his son. My father smiled at me.

"Well, child?" Zeus rumbled.

"I cannot say who," I said, my voice ringing in the throne room, "but someone unmentionable has let me know that Hecate is rising soon. The only thing we do not know is how much time we have. She is coming to burn Olympus to the ground."

The Olympians roared in anger. They began arguing furiously. Zeus pounded his fist on the arm of his throne, and the gods fell silent.

"Child," he said gruffly, addressing me. "Who gave you this information? We Olympians must know." The gods murmured in agreement.

"I apologize, my lord Zeus," I said. "I cannot betray the source's secrets."

The king of the gods did not seem pleased, but he nodded.

"I know that you know that Hecate wants war," Peter said. "I say we should give her what she wants."

"I like this kid!" Ares roared. "He knows how to think!" He grinned broadly at Peter, who smiled back at the god of war. Hera frowned at her favorite son.

"No!" I said. "We can't do anything rash."

Athena raised her chin appreciatively at me. "The girl is right, Ares," she said.

I continued, "What we need to do is find the rest of the demigods and bring them to Camp Half-Blood for protection and training. Then we prepare for war."

"It is logical," Athena said. I noticed she had a barn owl perched on the back of her throne; it hooted softly at me. "I move to accept the girl's plan."

"I, too, believe the child," Demeter said from her grass throne.

"I disagree," Dionysus said lazily. "War takes too much trouble. I say we just vaporize the problem at the root."

"No," Poseidon said sternly. "Nephew, we will not blast my daughter to bits. She has done well." I ducked my head.

"Nor my son," Apollo ordered.

"All right, all right," Dionysus yielded. "It was simply a suggestion."

"All in favor of using the girl's plan," Hermes called.

Seven of the gods raised their hands. A sound like a gavel was heard.

"Motion accepted," Hermes announced.

"Being ordered about by a mere girl," Zeus grumbled. "Now, be gone with you children!" He waved his hand and we were standing outside the Big House.

Immediately I went to the kitchen and got a plate and cup. "What are you doing?" Tyler asked.

"Thanking the gods," I said. "Nectar," I ordered the cup. "Ox," I told the plate.

I scraped the whole pile of ox into the fire and dumped the glass of nectar into the flames. "To the gods," I said.

I turned to the boys. "Well," I remarked. "It seems we have some work to do."

* * *

**Now, you all have to say what you think! I don't care if they're flames, random comments, or compliments. Right now I have, what, three reviews? COME ON, PEOPLE! HELP ME OUT HERE!**

**Kisses! -Alice :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi again! So, people, did you review? JK, I know you probably didn't. Anyway, thanks to the peeps who did! Now, stop reading my really really bad intro and go down to my excellent fanfic:**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ideas I have used and/or altered in the making of this fanfic. I own merely the characters/places I have created on my own.)**

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**7/**

The next day I had Elizabeth Bentley give me a huge tote bag stuffed with clothing that Peter (my partner for the week) and I might need.

Peter had the backpack filled with godly necessities: nectar, ambrosia, matches, and both mortal and immortal money. I knew we couldn't take Castor, and Elijah Andrews gladly volunteered to watch him, saying he was going to build an automaton in his shape.

We used the watch to get to California. I grumbled over doing it, but ducked into the bathroom and changed into mortal clothes. They were so itchy. I hated pretending to be mortal.

The school bell would ring at seven-thirty, Peter reasoned, so he dragged me there early. I sat on the low branch of a tree and crossed my legs.

"We should just follow the crowd," he said thoughtfully. "See what comes up." I agreed. The bell rang.

We passed a group of boys on our way in; they whistled at me. I flashed them a dark look; they all shut up. Peter snorted.

A mortal boy ran up to me. "Hi. I'm Erik Martinez," he said, smiling. "Are you new?" Peter frowned for some reason.

"Yes," I said, thinking quickly. "Alice White."

"Nice to meet you. Do you need help getting to your next class?" the mortal asked, completely ignoring Peter.

"Yes," I said. "I have…uh...history right now."

"Oh, good, it's right over there," the child said, pointing. "Maybe we'll have some classes together," he added hopefully.

I thanked him with a forced smile and made my way to where he had pointed. The room was already filled with talking mortals; the words ceased when I walked in. The instructor, a thin young man with a beard, smiled at me.

"New student?" he asked me.

"Yes," I lied. I told him my 'name'.

He blinked in surprise. "Well, Ms. White, it looks like you have the exact same schedule as Mr. Lore. Vega," he barked suddenly. "Move to the empty seat next to Mr. Jacobs."

Then he smiled at me. "Go ahead and take a seat," he said, gesturing to the vacant desk.

I shot him a puzzled look, but sat. The boy next to me, who must've been 'Mr. Lore', cocked his head and stared at me.

My attention was diverted by the mortal social studies teacher, Mr. Adams. He quieted the classroom and started talking about the history of the United States. I was genuinely interested; I had been cut off from the mortal world for too long.

Approximately fifty minutes later, the bell rang. I shoved my things into my bag and stood up, putting the strap over my shoulder.

The boy who had sat next to me, 'Mr. Lore', blocked my path. "I'm Alexander," he said. "Alexander Lore."

"Alice White," I lied.

"I don't know yet," he said, his eyes narrowing, "but there's something weird about you. And I'm gonna find out what."

"Wait," I said, suddenly, grabbing his arm. He glared at me. I studied his face closely. Before I could say anything I heard my name:

"Alice!" Peter ran over to me.

He froze when he saw Alexander. He gave him a weird look, but ran off.

"_Who was that kid?"_ Peter asked in Ancient Greek.

"Alexander Lore," I said in English. _"Did you see his eyes?" _I asked in Greek.

_"Yes. Gray. Definitely a son of Athena,"_ he answered

_"Have you found any others?"_ I asked.

_"No. Not yet. How much longer should we stay here?"_ he asked.

I thought for a minute. _"Just a few more hours,__"_ I said.

Peter nodded. _"If you say so,"_ he said.

I looked at the clock on the wall. _"Come on. The stupid bell is about to ring,"_ I said.

Peter nodded again. I followed Alexander Lore toward the next room.

_"What are you going to do?__"_ he asked.

_"__I have no idea,"_ I answered.

His expression was grim. _"Good luck,"_ he said.

_"Yeah. Good luck,"_ I muttered to myself. I suddenly decided to take drastic action. "Alexander!"

"What?" he turned toward me. I grabbed his hand, then Peter's, then slammed my palm down on his watch.

"What the hell was that?" Alexander cried when we reappeared.

"Gift from my dad," Peter said, glaring at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I wasn't going to be 'mortal' again!"

We left the boy with Sophie Salazar, then used the watch again to get to the next address.

_"Do you know who the next mark is?"_ Peter asked. It was easy to forget which language we were speaking.

_"No,"_ I said. _"Anne Grey borrowed my list. We're going to have to guess on this one."_

Peter groaned. _"Does that mean we have to pretend to be mortal again?"_

I laughed. _"Yes."_

_"How do we know if they're demigods?"_ he asked.

That made me think a little. _"We test them,"_ I suggested. _"See if they can understand Ancient Greek."_

"_I hate pretending to be mortal,"_ Peter grumbled.

_"Me too,"_ I agreed.

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**Now, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I seriously need those, kids! I know this chapter is a little shorter than my usual ones, but I need to end them sometime. This was basically a filler one. To see the more exciting ones, check back next time or click "Next" at the bottom of this page!**

**Kisses! -Alice**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi! Let's skip the bad intro, k? Do me a favor: just stop reading this and look down to where it says 8/. **

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**8/**

FIVE DAYS LATER

I woke up with a start and sat straight up. The sky was dark, and the moon was high in the sky. I hurried downstairs, and the next thing I knew I was giving orders at the dining pavilion.

"I need a volunteer to stay with Lily Bloom—she's way too young to be a Seeker. I also need someone to look up the addresses of the targets," I began.

Miranda Bowman raised her hand. "Alice, I'll stay with Lily. I'm not much for being a Seeker anyway," she said.

I nodded. "Good," I said.

I herded them into the Seeker's room, pulled the lever on the generator, and watched as the names appeared on the screen. There were some groans and happy notes, but soon we all left.

"Zoë Perish, Parker Larcener, and Madyson Grace," I told Peter, my partner.

"And their heritage?" Peter asked.

"Daughter of Hades, daughter of Hermes, and daughter of Aphrodite."

Peter nodded again. "Who's first?" he asked.

"You pick," I shrugged.

"Madyson Grace," he said. "She sounds interesting."

"Okay," I said.

I slid to the bottom of the spiral staircase with Peter close behind me.

Peter quickly explained his plan, which he had thought of in advance: we would take Castor to Madyson Grace's estate; I steal into her room, he waiting with Castor outside.

I ducked into the Seeker's room, grabbing a backpack and throwing a box of matches in it. I opened the boards in the floor, pulling out a stack of mortal money and a handful of drachmas. I took a Ziploc bag of baked ambrosia and a canteen of nectar and hurried outside.

Castor took us to the Grace estate, and I slipped through the bushes into the pool area. I leaped into a tree just as the sliding door above clicked and opened. I saw a girl walk out onto the balcony and wave madly at a very expensive-looking car that was pulling out of the driveway.

I turned my gaze on the girl, her clothes flapping in the wind. I watched as she disappeared into the house, slamming the sliding door behind her.

I abandoned the pool and dashed to the house, climbing the giant tree to my left and leaping from the highest branch to the balcony.

I landed silently on the stone railing. I jumped down and opened the glass door. (It was locked, but those kinds of doors come right off the track without having to deal with the lock.)

It turned out to be Madyson Grace's room. It had a king-size canopy bed and two bedside tables. The light behind one pair of doors was on; I assumed she was in the bathroom. I sat on the bed and crossed my legs, waiting patiently for her to come out.

It wasn't long before the doorknob clicked and the door swung open. Madyson Grace's long blond hair was pulled into a tall ponytail, her pale skin flushed as though she'd been running.

"Madyson Grace," I said. "Come on, it's time to go." She opened her mouth. I held up my hand to stop her. "There's no time for questions, child. If you want to _not_ die a horrible painful death, you'll come with me."

"Alice!" Peter's voice shouted up.

_"I'm coming!"_ I yelled back in Ancient Greek. I took Madyson's arm and led her to the balcony.

I stood on the railing. "What are you doing?" Madyson cried, grabbing my arm.

"Trust me," I said, pulling my arm out of her hand. And then I jumped.

When a girl becomes a Hunter, she ceases to age completely. The agelessness somehow makes us…better. Our skin becomes harder, our bones denser, our reflexes quicker.

So when I jumped off the banister and onto the ground, I didn't break my legs, like you might think. I was completely unharmed.

"Come on!" I shouted up to Madyson. "Jump! I'll catch you!"

Madyson uneasily climbed to the banister, slipped, and fell. I caught her with a huff, setting her on her feet.

I dragged her to Peter and Castor. Peter quickly pulled Madyson onto the wolf's back and he dashed off.

Madyson Grace was unconscious when we dropped her off in the Aphrodite room with her siblings. They accepted her gladly and laid her on her new bunk, ready to explain when she woke up.

Zoë Perish, daughter of Hades, was our next mark. When I told Peter her name, he smiled. "What?" I said.

"Zoë _Perish_," he said. "And she's a daughter of _Hades_."

I rolled my eyes. I made sure that Peter still had the emergency backpack, and we set off on Castor's back.

Peter had guessed that Zoë Perish would most likely be at her school, so that's where I had Castor take us. We crouched by one of the large windows and peered inside.

"That's her," Peter said almost instantly, pointing.

I followed his finger to a tall girl wearing black. "What?" I said. "How can you tell?"

He scoffed. "How can you not? She's the daughter of Hades! Just look at her!"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Let's take her." We slipped through another window, only to find ourselves in a small closet.

"What's the plan?" Peter murmured.

"Hmm," I said, cracking open the door. I spotted the girl in the hall through the small opening, thrust out my hand, and quickly dragged her inside, slamming the door behind us and clamping a hand over her mouth.

Her muffled protests alerted no one.

"That was the plan?" Peter exploded. "Don't you think people will notice she's vanished?"

I rolled my eyes. "This is so much simpler. I bet you were thinking of pretending to be mortals again. You know I hate that."

The girl threw off my hand. "Who the hell do you think you are?" she demanded.

I raised my eyebrows. "She's got quite a tongue, this one."

"I'm going to the principal," she announced, getting to her feet.

I yanked her back down. "Zoë Perish, this is Peter Montgomery. I'm Alice. We're going to take you someplace safe" she opened her mouth "and there's no time for questions. Peter?"

Peter nodded. We climbed back out the window. I called Castor, and we used him to get back to Camp Half-Blood

"Come on, Zoë, let's go see your room," I said, and I took her inside. Zoë followed me to the secret door.

"Well," I said. I pointed to the emblem of Hades's Helm of Darkness. "Touch it."

A very confused Zoë poked it, and the wall shifted aside, revealing the stone staircase. "Gus!" I yelled.

Gus ran from the Dionysus room and skidded to my side. "This is Zoë Perish, daughter of Hades. She doesn't know about…you know. Could you explain to her?" Gus nodded and I left them alone. I found Peter and we used Castor to get to the next demigod.

The new mark, Parker Larcener, was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the _Greek _section, of course.

We climbed the steps with Castor lumbering behind us, and I walked by a statue of Poseidon. I brushed my fingers over the Sea God's trident, looked up at the statue's face (which was not at all accurate), and moved on.

Castor found that he couldn't fit through the door, and I could see he was frustrated. He turned in a circle, lay down, and put his head on his paws.

The doorway was guarded by statues of Zeus and Hera. A marble peacock was lazily lying at the queen's feet. It seemed to turn its stone beak up at me haughtily as I passed. **(BTW, I am not a New Yorker, nor have I ever been there, so this description is probably not even close to accurate. I seriously just made it up. :D)**

I saw a middle-aged woman near the statue of Hades and I froze. Peter passed me and walked back. "What?"

I felt the color drain from my face and my eyes grow wide as I stared at the woman. There was a strange buzzing noise in my ears and I swayed. Peter grabbed my arm. "Alice, what is it?" he demanded.

_Fury,_ I mouthed, unable to make sound.

"What?" Peter's grip tightened.

"Fury," I whispered. **(You probably don't care, but _Furies _are Roman. The Greek ones are _Erinyes_.) **I took a deep breath and righted myself. Then I spotted a large group of mortals near the statues of the gods. They were crowded around the statue of Zeus.

I watched as a girl bumped into a wealthy-looking woman and grabbed the woman's wrist to steady herself. They exchanged a few apologies and the woman walked away—with her diamond bracelet missing. The girl smiled to herself and slipped something into her pocket.

I pointed to her and mouthed, _Parker Larcener_ at Peter. He nodded and we pushed through the crowd to stand on either side of her.

The group of mortals started to move away, Parker Larcener with them, but Peter and I didn't let her. She looked at both of us, her eyes narrowing. She was about sixteen years old and rather pretty, with a slightly curling blond ponytail and merry black eyes in a pale face.

I shot another anxious glance toward the servant of Hades, whom I suddenly recognized as Alecto, the Fury of castigating moral crimes. The demon was looking at us, and her eyes burned with black flames.

"Let's go," I muttered to Peter. "One Kindly One is bad enough, but I don't want her calling her sisters for assistance."

The Fury took a step toward us at the sound of her name, and I whistled loudly. Castor let out a howl from outside and burst through the doorway of the museum, stepping on a statue of Ares. I murmured a quick prayer to the War God, asking for forgiveness as his statue was smashed into rubble.

I had no idea what she was doing here, or why she was watching Parker Larcener; she was a daughter of Hermes, not Hades. But I didn't want to stay and find out.

The museum's mortal security guards ran in and saw the three of us demigods. They lunged at us. I knew I couldn't use my sword or arrows on them (the Hephaestus-brand silver would've just bounced off an invisible shield surrounding the mortals), so I seized a woman's umbrella and cracked it over a guard's head.

I looked wildly to my left, wrenched a crutch from a mortal, and spun it in my fingers. I silently dared one of the guards to attack. One did; I kicked him in the chest and swung the crutch like a bat—a loud crack and a scream were heard and he crumpled.

I shook my hair out of my face and slammed the end of the metal crutch into a guard's stomach. I used the rod to smack him between the legs, and his face turned beet red. I kicked his nose in with a stomp of my boot and spun the crutch again.

I glanced back, and Peter and Parker were sitting on Castor's back. Suddenly there was a thud in my shoulder. I looked up, and a guard was holding a wooden baton like he'd just hit me.

I punched him in the face and turned, stomping on the end of his baton, snapping it in two. There was one guard left; I threw the crutch like a javelin and leaped onto Castor's back.

The partly-destroyed museum disappeared, just as the Fury Alecto burst out of her disguise and flew away.

I relaxed at the usual blur of colors while Castor ran, and absently shook my aching hand (that guard had a hard face).

When we got to Camp Half-Blood, Parker Larcener grabbed my wrist, preparing to jump off Castor's back. She was about to walk away when I seized her hand and gave her a skeptical look. Parker scowled but gave me my bracelet back. I shook my head at her with a stern expression. I held out my hand, palm up.

Her scowl deepened as she dug her hands into her pockets and produced the dagger from my boot, my crescent pin, and a gray cell phone I had never seen before. I frowned as I took my things back, but Peter practically roared with laughter. "They're gonna _love_ you," he laughed, wiping his eyes. I couldn't help but smile.

Peter was right. Within ten minutes of entering the Hermes room, Parker had stolen almost all her siblings' things, put shaving cream in Eddie Carlyle's pillow, and re-filled her brother Robb's duffel bag with red ants.

All her siblings were angry and delighted at the same time. Parker's black eyes were shining when we left her with the Hermes crew.

* * *

I tapped my foot impatiently, waiting for the Iris-message to form. Slowly, it gave me the image of Peter Montgomery, locked in a fight with a mortal.

"Peter!" I shouted.

He jumped, kicked his opponent aside, and whirled to face me. "Alice, you almost gave me a heart attack!" He jabbed at something I couldn't see. "Look, I'm almost done here. Let me just get this mark and I'll be gone."

I glanced over his shoulder. "Is that him?" I said, indicating with my chin. Peter whirled around. The boy in question was trying to sneak out the door. I caught a glimpse of Elizabeth Bentley spearing a dracaena with her sword in the background.

She saw me. "Hey Alice!" she yelled.

I said hi and told Peter to hurry back. "We've got so much to do," I said worriedly.

He nodded and wiped his hand over the image.

I turned around and froze. Zeus was floating in front of me. Immediately I knelt. "Uncle," I said.

"Alice," he said. "I need a job done."

"My lord?"

"Hades has refused to assist us in the war," Zeus said, scowling. "The Council has decided to sway him with a gift." He waved his hand and a long metal canister on the floor. "You need not know what is inside. Take Hermes's daughter and Apollo's son. Only them. Hades's daughter is not permitted."

Zeus started to glow, and I looked away as he showed his true godly form. "Yes, my lord," I murmured.

I knew that by 'Hades's daughter' Zeus meant Zoë Perish. Zoë was a strong-willed girl who didn't like to follow directions—especially mine. After she got over the shock of finding out about the gods, she decided she wanted to meet her father. And despite our efforts to restrain her, she traveled to the Underworld to visit Hades.

How she got past Cerberus, the three-headed guard, I didn't know. Zoë didn't like staying at Camp Half-Blood. As she told me once, it wasn't that she didn't like everyone—she was just restless. Zoë, from what I knew, had recently gone to the Underworld, but they were weary of her now, so she hadn't gotten through. Fortunately Zoë was in the Dionysus room with her friend Gus, so it was easy to avoid her.

If I had to take a daughter of Hermes with me, my first choice would be Parker Larcener. She was only sixteen, but rumor has it she could singlehandedly steal a piano from the president right under the Secret Service's nose without being seen. She was also the world's best cat-burglar, pickpocket, and safecracker—and the only child of Hermes that didn't look her father. I liked Parker, but the only rules to being around her were a) always watch your pockets, and b) do not, under any circumstances, tell her where the red ants live unless you want them in your bunk.

I assumed that 'Apollo's son', meant Peter. He wouldn't be back for a while. I bent down and picked up the canister, which started to glow and turned into a tiny version of itself on a long chain. I dropped the chain over my head.

I went into the hall to see Peter walking in the door. I ran over to him filled Peter in on what happened. He didn't look too happy about it.

"We should go immediately," he said.

I nodded. I went to grab Parker Larcener, and found her pouring beetles into Maggie Collins's bed in the Aphrodite room. Parker looked up, a surprised look on her pale face, but I just smiled and told her to carry on, and to meet Peter and me in the living room. Her delighted smile lit up the room.

I didn't bother to change into mortal clothes—we were going to the Underworld. I did make sure that Peter put together a fresh backpack containing the usual necessities.

When Parker came out of the hallway, she was running from Maggie Collins (who gone into her room to take her daily "beauty nap" when she discovered Parker's trick). Maggie was ballistic. She was screaming and waving her arms, completely covered in beetles.

"Go!" Parker yelled. She swung herself onto Castor's back and we disappeared just as Maggie's fist closed over Parker's ponytail.

We were standing in the middle of a New York City sidewalk. Parker ran her fingers through her ponytail. "I think she pulled out some of my hair," she said, screwing up her face.

"So, Alice," Peter said. "Where's the door to the Underworld?"

Parker froze. "We're going to the Underworld?" she asked, bewildered.

"Yes," I answered. I turned to Peter. "There are two entrances. The first, the most popular, is in Las Vegas. The second, smaller door is located behind the water of Niagara Falls in Canada."

"Whoa," he said, holding up his hand. "The door is in Las Vegas?"

"One of them," I said. "Hermes takes the dead through that door."

"Why Las Vegas?" Peter asked.

I looked at him, puzzled. "It is the Door of Death," I said. "It is naturally drawn to the most death, fatigue, and sin."

"What about the other one?" Parker interrupted.

"The Door of Orpheus," I replied. "The son of Calliope, the muse of epics. He sang his way through the water of Niagara Falls and the rock behind it. To save his bride, Eurydice."

"But I thought this had all happened in Greece," Parker said.

"It did," I responded. "The door moves."

Suddenly binding arms grabbed Peter, Parker, and me and yanked us into a van. Parker screamed. I tried to fight my way out, but there was a sharp pain in the back of my head. My vision was tinged purple, and then everything went black.

* * *

**Yeah, you guys know the drill: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Come on, guys, you can do SOOOO much better! I know some of my material is bad, but still, even saying it online is better than nothing at all!**

**Kisses! -Alice**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi, people! Now, to continue from last time...What's this "present" Zeus is sending to Hades? And why's he using Alice? Can't he use Hermes or something? Well, this chapter isn't a filler, but it's not exactly a super exciting one either, so brace yourself, readers. **

**Now look down to where the first line is!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ideas I have used and/or altered in the making of this fanfic. Only the characters/places I have created.**

* * *

**9/**

I sat up with a shock. I was lying in a hospital bed with my right wrist handcuffed to the rail.

Parker was lying on the bed next to mine and Peter was unconscious in the armchair by the window. I sighed and closed my eyes.

When I opened them, I was surprised to see Parker pacing back and forth, swinging her handcuffs around and around her index finger.

I rubbed my eyes. "Parker," I said, a little groggy. "Keys. Get me keys."

She sighed loudly. "Ugh. This is gonna suck." She stuck her fingers down her throat and muck spattered the floor.

"Ugh! Gods, no!" Peter yelled, suddenly awake.

Instantly a doctor and a policeman rushed in. The doctor quickly examined Parker, and left, satisfied. The policeman re-cuffed Parker to the rail of the hospital bed.

Parker came over (her handcuffs were undone within seconds) and unlocked my cuffs. Then she dangled the keys in Peter's face. He gave her a skeptical look, and with a roll of her eyes and a smirk, Parker threw him the keys.

I walked to the window. "Parker?"

She came over and examined the lock.

"We need the backpack," Peter said.

"I'm on it," Parker said. She stared at the ceiling for a few silent seconds.

"What are you doing?" Peter questioned.

"Left, right, left, left, guards, right," Parker muttered, ignoring Peter's question. She stood on the bed and easily popped out the grating of the vent above her head. "Wait here. I'll be back in sixty seconds, maximum." She disappeared into the ceiling.

"Is she crazy?" Peter said in wonder.

I held my finger and thumb about an inch apart, raising my eyebrows.

We waited. Pretty soon Parker's head appeared in the hole in the ceiling. "Got it," she said happily. "It was a breeze." She slid out from the grate, doing a cartwheel on one hand from the bed to the floor. She shoved the backpack at Peter, who stared at her.

I snapped my fingers. "Peter!"

Peter kept watch at the door while Parker worked. She looked back at us. "As soon as I open the window, we have exactly eight seconds before the alarm sounds. Ready?" Peter put on the backpack and we nodded. She opened the window. We all scrambled through.

Parker slammed the window shut and we breathed a sigh of relief when no alarm sounded.

"Whoa, Parker!" Peter said.

"What?" she said. "I just broke the lock."

"Parker is the greatest thief you will ever meet," I informed Peter. "She once stole Bill Gates's computer from right under his nose."

"I was bored," Parker shrugged.

"She was also seven," I interceded.

Parker smiled and a faraway look entered her eyes. "I still have that vase, though."

I heard sirens coming closer. "Peter." He pressed his watch.

"So," Peter said shakily when we reappeared in an alley. "Which door do we take?"

"Well," I said, thinking aloud. "The main door in Nevada might attract too much attention. The Door of Orpheus is more discreet, and leads directly to the palace of Hades. But we need music."

"Why don't we call a satyr?" Parker asked.

"Good idea," Peter said. "So does anyone know how to call a satyr?"

I sighed, but I summoned a satyr. Satyrs, according to me, were just drunk, lovesick goats. They were always running after beautiful nymphs and Hunters. They admired Artemis above all, but the goddess despised them for trying to woo her Hunters.

We heard a trotting noise and a satyr ran over to us. He was wearing a shirt that said Go Pan! and had a dancing satyr on the front. "I'm here!" he said, looking around wildly. He saw me, and he got a goofy smile on his face. "Lady Hunter," he said, bowing.

I sniffed. "We need to get through the Door of Orpheus," I said.

"I can do that!" the satyr said, over-eagerly. "I'm Derek."

"Parker," said Parker.

"I'm Peter. Nice to meet you," Peter said, holding out his hand. Derek shook it, and then turned to us. We all took hands and used Peter's watch to get to Niagara Falls. The monstrous waterfall roared so loudly I couldn't hear myself think.

Derek stroked his goatee and said, "Door of Orpheus, huh?"(He had to shout over the waterfall.) He whipped out a set of reed pipes and started to play a light, springy song I could barely hear.

The water started to part in the center. But the song wasn't enough. Just as quickly as the water split, it began to close. I threw out my hands and helped until I alone was holding the falls apart.

"I've got the water!" I yelled over the roar. "Split the rocks!"

Derek the satyr responded with another song that made the rocks shriek in protest. The water was difficult to restrain, but I managed with great effort. The rock behind the falling water was finally split open far enough for us to fit. Derek continued to play his pipes, and Peter had to help me into the crevice. Derek's song cut off abruptly and the stone collapsed shut.

I dropped my hands and the water crashed back onto the rocks with a deafening roaring sound. I was so lightheaded I almost fell over, but Parker steadied me. I put a hand to my forehead. "Never…tried so much water," I said, gasping a little. I shook my head.

I noticed Peter staring at me and I furrowed my brow. "What?"

He shook his head slightly. "Nothing."

"It's creepy in here," Parker remarked.

"You could say that again," Derek muttered.

We continued down the long, steep walkway nervously. My hand never left the hilt of my sword the entire time.

The hallway opened into a huge cave. I spotted the River Styx through an obsidian gate, and breathed a sigh of relief when I realized we were on the other side. The riverbed was wide, the waters dark, and the current swirled dangerously. I could see a man clothed in pitch-black robes in a small canoe on the Styx—Charon. I could faintly see the boat filled with transparent-looking people.

The enormous guard dog, Cerberus, lounged lazily at the entrance of the black gate. I was glad we didn't have to cross him, and I carefully studied the Underworld.

There was one main road, which had a line of spirits moving very slowly. I caught a glimpse of the judges table, where the spirits were on trial. I noticed a very small path far from the main road. It led straight to the doors of the obsidian palace. Judging from how faded the path was, no creature had dared go to Hades himself.

I tucked my hair behind my ear and strode confidently away from the Door of Orpheus and onto the road to Hades's black palace. I heard Peter and Parker running to catch up to me, and Derek's nervous "Uhh, I'm gonna wait for you guys outside!" and his hurried clip-clopping.

When we reached the obsidian doors of Hades's palace, they were open. We walked inside, and I heard flapping above us. I dared to glance up; the three Furies were flying over us, their fangs bared.

I knew exactly where the throne room was. Peter and Parker followed me into Persephone's garden and gaped at the eerie beauty of the ruby roses and silver trees.

The beautiful queen of the Underworld was standing by her famed pomegranate tree, the plump, tempting fruit being the real only color in Hades's palace. Persephone was dressed more formally than before, in a wraparound black dress that hid her feet. She wore a golden crown in her black hair and a diamond necklace that resembled a golf ball on a gold rope around her throat. Her face was lifted haughtily.

She walked gracefully to the small white throne and, picking up the hem of her gown, she turned and sat. A figure in a black chiton materialized on the throne beside Persephone.

I had never met Hades before. He had short black hair streaked with a shock of white. His pale face was beardless, unlike his brothers' and his dead-looking black eyes stared at us suspiciously. The three Furies settled on a ledge above Hades's throne.

I knelt at my uncle's feet. "Uncle."

"I don't know why I didn't blast you three from my realm," Hades grumbled.

"That would not have been right, my lord," Persephone scolded, her face (save her mouth) as immovable as stone. "What would their fathers do?"

"Humph," my uncle responded. He glowered at me. "Well, child? State your business."

I reached down and pulled the chain over my head. I laid the tiny metal canister at the foot of Hades's throne; it glowed in his presence and lengthened into its normal size. It flew into the god's lap. "A gift from Lord Zeus," I said.

Hades reached inside the canister and withdrew a staff from the metal. It was beautifully carved from obsidian and topped with gold. "Ah," Hades said, examining the gift. "I see."

Persephone leaned over and whispered in Hades's ear. The lord of the dead grumbled under his breath, but nodded stiffly at his queen. He looked at me with his cold dark eyes. "My wife has convinced me; I shall help my siblings with Hecate's war. But my niece, I need a favor."

"Yes, my lord?" I said.

Hades looked at Persephone, and then back at me. "I have other matters to attend to," he said. "My wife will continue this tedious task." He pounded the new staff on the stone floor, and disappeared in a rush of icy wind.

Persephone rested her hand on the arm of her throne. Her other fingers twisted a lock of her black hair absently.

"Zoë Perish," she said. She flicked her finger, and Zoë tumbled out of the darkness like it had dropped her. She stood up and brushed off her clothes, glaring at her stepmother.

"Zoë!" Peter and I said together.

The daughter of Hades tore a ruby rose from an emerald bush and smashed it on the ground. "You ruin everything," she spat at the queen.

Peter, behind me, shifted nervously. "Uhh, Zoë…"

"It is fine," Persephone said coldly. "Zoë and I had a small…spat."

"_Small spat?"_ Zoë cried. "You turned me into a _daffodil!_"

Persephone ignored her. She looked at me. "Despite his…hostility, my lord Hades does indeed trust you with his children. Zoë Perish needs to be taken back to Camp Half-Blood immediately." Her expression softened slightly. "Do be careful, child," she said to me. "The war will be brutal." I got up, bowed to her, and turned to go. "Do not use the Door of Orpheus, girl," Persephone called after me. "It ignites my husband's anger that a simple mortal was able to fool him." She waved her hand, and a glittering pomegranate appeared in my palm, engraved with a letter _P_. "Give that to Charon."

I glanced back at the queen of the dead, but she was gone. We proceeded to the black gates, but Peter stopped us before we could go any farther. He sent a message to Derek the satyr via Hestia to tell him we had to take the main door to Las Vegas.

When he was finished, we pushed by the ghosts, inched past Cerberus, and stood on the bank. "Is that—?" Parker breathed.

"Yes," I said. "The River Styx."

Parker took an unconscious step toward the water, but we shouted "No!" at the same time and grabbed her. Charon's ferry banked on the riverbed and spirits floated glumly ashore. I jumped on the boat, rocking dangerously.

Charon whirled around angrily. "One way only," he rasped.

"Queen Persephone says otherwise, Charon," I said, holding out the pomegranate. I couldn't see Charon's face under his black hood, but I could tell he was shocked. His skeletal hand swiped over mine and the glittering pomegranate vanished. "All aboard," he said.

I walked to the end of the boat and sat. Peter, Parker, and Zoë followed me onto Charon's ferry nervously. Charon gripped his oar more firmly and began rowing us across the River Styx.

The dangerous water splashed up and almost touched my fingers; I recoiled and inched away from the edge.

It was a few minutes before we made it to the other side. The bottom of the ferry scraped against the riverbed as we all climbed out.

I fished a golden drachma from my pouch and flicked it to Charon; he caught it and bowed to us.

The ghosts clung to our clothing and whispered pleas as we walked past.

I looked at every face, seeing no one I knew, thank the gods. I hurried away and heard Charon barking at the spirits behind me.

We finally left the ghosts and Charon far behind us. We were again in a long hallway. It was unlike the Door of Orpheus; this path was wide and lined with torches, with a long blood-red carpet on the stone floor. At the end of this hallway was a doorway.

Its double doors were carved from glossy wood and engraved with images of Hades, Persephone, and Charon. It was rimmed with gold and silver and the doorframe was encrusted with jewels.

I gripped the gold handle and pushed open the door. I was surprised to see that we were in a dimly lit basement. I glanced back, but there was only a door labeled Maintenance Room: Employees Only. The door handle had one of those confusing mortal contraptions with a number keyboard.

There was an unused-looking staircase in the corner of the room. I looked back at Peter, then at Zoë. "Where are we?" I asked her.

The daughter of Hades shrugged. "I have no idea. I've never used the main entrance—only the Door of Orpheus."

I put a hand to my sword and climbed the stairs to a small door. Pulsing music sounded through the wood and there was colored light streaming through the crack at the bottom.

I shoved open the door and was shocked to see an enormous room filled with mortals. Multicolored lights flashed, music vibrated the floor, and mortals shouted to each other over the noise.

"Oh, crap!" Peter yelled. "We're at the Monte Carlo!"

"What!" Parker shouted. She paled. "They can't see me here! Not after what I did!" She made a mad dash for the door.

Peter grabbed my wrist. "We can't attract attention," he said.

I frowned, but nodded. I started shoving past mortals, making my way toward the exit. Someone pulled my hair. "I swear to the gods," I muttered. "Revolting, un-evolved mortals."

We finally reached the front door and burst into the sunlight. I blinked my eyes, getting used to the light, and breathed in the clean air.

"Peter, we should go," Zoë said suddenly.

Peter nodded and reached down to his watch, then froze. "Oh gods," he said. "Someone stole my watch."

We all looked at Parker. "What?" she said defensively. "I didn't steal from Peter this time!"

Peter's eyebrows shot up. "'This time'?"

"I could steal a car," Parker suggested, changed the subject.

"No, no," Zoë said, shaking her head. "The last thing we need is attention."

"Castor?" I said.

"A giant wolf with four kids on its back in the streets of Las Vegas?" Peter said. "No way."

"But mortals see him as a Siberian husky," I insisted.

"Um," Zoë said timidly. "Animals don't really…erm…like me."

"I guess we're going on foot," Parker sighed.

I glanced at the sky; the sun was hanging just above the horizon. "Fine," I grumbled. "But as soon as we're out of the city, I'm calling Castor."

"Umm," Zoë said. "If its okay with you guys, I'm kinda _known_ in this city, so can I make it back a different way?"

"Oh, I understand," Parker jumped in. She turned to us. "We should let her. Cops will totally be after her as soon as a traffic camera spots her face."

I nodded to Zoë. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said. "I know my way around the Underworld."

* * *

Thunder boomed loudly. "The gods are angry," I said. I downed the rest of my cold 'hot' chocolate and set the cup down. Angry clouds had formed over our heads, but no rain fell. Peter had pushed us into the nearest door, which had turned out to be a coffee shop. "We can't stay long." Then I sighed. "I didn't want to do this, but Parker, we need—"

"Can I lift whatever I want?" she asked excitedly.

"I—"

"Sure," Peter cut in, grinning. "As long as you split it with me."

"Okay!" Parker got up.

Peter's smile vanished. "I—I was just kidding," he called after her, but she didn't hear.

"Parker," Peter tried to explain. "I was just kidding—"

She ducked out the door without looking back. Peter looked totally bewildered. She came back after about five minutes, smilng nonchalantly.

"Okay," she said in a whisper. "I got a diamond necklace, a watch and… a bracelet. Oh, and an engagement ring."

"No," I said. "You can keep everything but the engagement ring—put that back. You might anger Hera by stealing it."

Parker pouted, but did as I asked.

Suddenly the floor seemed to lurch; the tables overturned, the plates smashed, the windows shattered. Lighting flashed and thunder boomed. I was thrown onto the floor along with the tables.

Peter gasped. "The gods are _super_ angry."

"You could say that again," Parker said breathlessly.

"I don't know what they're fighting about," I said. "But it's not good."

"No," a familiar voice said quietly. "It is not."

I looked up and saw a girl in a plain brown dress sitting cross-legged in front of me. I was on the ground, so I couldn't bow, but I ducked my head. "Lady Hestia."

"Hello," Hestia said. She wasn't smiling. "I'm sure you know, but my brothers are…fighting."

"That's a _huge_ understatement," Parker said.

Hestia smiled weakly.

"What are they fighting about, my lady?" Peter asked.

Hestia sighed. "Apollo has been trying to see Hecate from his chariot, but she's been using her annoying tricks to hide herself and her army. Lord Zeus is furious that he can't find her."

"Lady Hestia," I said. "Do you know which minor gods are on Hecate's side?"

The goddess sighed again. "Unfortunately, yes. I'm a terrible eavesdropper, since nobody notices me, you know."

"So you know who?" Peter prompted.

"Hesperus, Morpheus, Eris, Circe, Bia, Mania, Calypso, Melinoe, and Nemesis," Hestia said. "I believe that's about it."

Peter looked confused. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something. "What about on our side?" I asked, before he could say anything.

Hestia's expression brightened slightly. "Elpis, Nike, Iris, the winds, the Fates, the Furies, the Dioscuri, the Muses, and Metis," she said happily.

"That's impressive," Peter said.

"But the minor gods with Hecate are very powerful," I said anxiously.

"Yes," Hestia said sadly.

Thunder boomed deafeningly and lightning blinded us. I looked back at Hestia, but she was gone. "Okay," Peter said breathlessly. "I only recognized, like, two of those names."

"Which ones?" I asked.

"Only the winds, the Muses, the Fates, and the Furies," he said.

"Okay, well, Hesperus is the evening star, son of Eos," I informed Peter. "Morpheus is the god of dreams. Circe is a dangerous sorceress; she's best known for using potions to change men into pigs. Not much difference, really."

"Hey!" Peter said indignantly.

I ignored him. "Bia is the goddess of violence, Mania is the goddess of insanity, Calypso is a sea nymph, a daughter of Atlas, but she can't do much since she's on Ogygia for eternity…and Nemesis is the goddess of revenge."

"Whoa," Parker said. "That's kind of a mouthful."

"I guess," I said. "Now, Elpis is the spirit of hope, Nike is the goddess of victory—it's a good sign that she's on our side—the Dioscuri are the immortal twins Castor and Polydeuces, and Metis is the goddess of prudence—except I thought she was in Zeus's head still…"

"What about that other one?" Peter interrupted. "Eric something."

"Eris," I corrected. "You do _not _want to cross her. She's the goddess of chaos. She's also the owner of the apple of discord."

"The what?"

"The apple of discord," I repeated. "If anyone sees it, they _have_ to have it. Eris is the one who caused the whole Helen of Troy fiasco—I bet she's so proud of that."

"Anything else?" Parker asked.

"No, I don't think so," I answered.

Another earthquake occurred, and we rushed out the door. We needed to get back to Camp Half-Blood.

"Alice!" Peter yelled over the thunder. "Stop the earthquake!"

Parker shrieked as a jagged line of lightning hit the ground near her feet, making a six-foot wide crater. I ground my teeth, concentrating on the seismic waves just below us. A building to my left crumbled, pinning Parker under a chunk of roof. "Alice!" she screamed.

My eyes squeezed tight as I heard another yelp of pain. _Come on, come on, come on!_

_

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_

**Yeah! I think I'm actually getting better at cliffhangers! Oh, but if you think this is kinda-sorta-good, then you just wait. I have like, twenty chapters saved up and almost ready for you guys, but shhhh. I can't say anything yet. All you can know is that there are some serious twists near the end of this, and I've already got a sequel in mind. *laughs evily***

**Kisses! -Alice**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, don't you just love clicking on my story and coming to this? I know I do. Lol. Right, now, what exactly are Hecate's plans? Sure, we know she wants to take down the gods, and probably Alice too, but how is she going to do it? Maybe she's gonna invade camp and kill Alice? Or maybe she'll disguise herself as a god and slaughter the camp from the inside? Why am I asking myself questions? Why are you asking me questions? Don't ask me, just read, will you?**

* * *

**10/**

I heard Parker's scream, the crack of another building, the crumbling of the asphalt. I dug my fingers into the dirt, concentrating so hard I swear my head was going to explode. Suddenly, it all stopped. The air grew deathly still and silent. I was exhausted, but I ran over to help Peter pull Parker out from under the roof piece.

_Mortals are strange creatures,_ I thought as I looked around. Less than three minutes ago, the ground had been shaking, the windows shattering, people screaming. But when the earthquakes stopped, mortals, looking confused, just started going about their business again.

It was really strange. Everybody had puzzled looks on their faces, but they went back to whatever they were doing before the earthquakes.

It confused me, but Peter saw something and beckoned to us. He took off, running toward an old bus on a street corner. Parker and I exchanged looks, and then ran after Peter. He was climbing aboard a gross-looking bus, talking to the bus driver as he went. I quickly checked, and we had more than enough mortal money to pay. I handed Peter a few bills, and he stuffed them into the fat bus driver's hand. "Keep the change," he told the man.

We sat spread over three bus seats. I wrinkled up my nose; the bus was stuffy and smelly. I tried to ignore it and looked up and down the bus, looking for any demons.

I didn't see anything, but that didn't mean they weren't there. I played with my ring nervously, twisting it around and around my finger. The bus braked at another stop and Peter slid into the seat next to me.

He handed me a bottle of water, which I took gratefully. I took a swig, then gave it back. He drank some, then tossed it to Parker in the seat behind ours.

I saw a field out the window and yanking the bell, jumped up. Parker, Peter, and I walked back to that open meadow I had spotted so I could call for Castor.

See, Hunters of Artemis generally attract wolves. It's like magnets. Wolves have unusually good hearing; you just whisper, and they'll be there. Normally wolves are connected to one Hunter specifically. Like Castor is my wolf, and I'm his Hunter. Once the Hunter and the wolf are linked, you can't undo it unless one of them dies. The wolf knows their Hunter's call on hearing.

So when I whistle for Castor, he's the only wolf that can hear me. He flashed to the field in a blur of gray and licked my face. I wiped it off and calmed him down.

Parker, Peter, and I climbed on Castor's back.

"Oh, Alice, can we _please_ stop at the Smithsonian? _Please?_" Parker begged.

I was puzzled, but I nodded. Peter flashed me a warning look. Parker clapped her hands.

She pulled on a cap to hide her blond hair and ran inside the museum as soon as we were there, a large black duffel bag I had never seen before over her shoulder. Castor sidled up to a fountain and started lapping up water. Peter and I jumped off his back and sat on the edge of the fountain. Castor turned a few times and plopped down, resting his massive head in his paws. His tail moved around restlessly.

Ten minutes later I started to get worried. "Why—" I began.

"Alice, she's fine," Peter said. "She's Parker." Then he realized something. "Oh, gods, she's _Parker_."

I furrowed my brow. "What?"

Peter didn't hear me. "She's probably ransacking some poor exhibit right now—"

"Who's ransacking?" a voice said.

Peter and I jumped and looked to the left; Parker was seated next to me, strapped into a harness and her bag over her shoulder.

"Parker," Peter said sternly. "What did you steal?"

"Oh," she said, smiling. "Nothing."

I grabbed Peter's arm. "If she stole something from a _museum_, we should leave before they figure out what happened," I said.

He nodded. I woke Castor. We climbed on his back and went back to Camp Half-Blood. As soon as Castor stopped running, Peter turned around to look at Parker. "What did you steal?"

Parker's smile widened as she pulled something from her duffel bag. It was a black velvet case. I cocked my head, puzzled. Then Parker opened it, and I sucked in a sharp breath.

Nestled in the velvet was a diamond pendant about the size of a river stone. It looked blue, and was rimmed with small two-carat diamonds—as was the chain.

I put a hand over my mouth. "Oh my gods," I whispered. "The Hope Diamond." I looked up at Parker. Her expression was smug and she was smiling and nodding at the same time. I took my hand away from my mouth. "Parker," I said slowly. "You walked into the Museum of Natural History and stole the Hope Diamond in the _middle of the day?_"

"Yep."

"And _no one saw you?_" Peter exploded.

"I'm just very good at what I do," she said, smiling.

"Mortals will be all over the place looking for us," Peter worried.

Parker waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry; I left them a replica that's good enough to fool _me._"

"What are you going to do with it?" I asked, astonished.

"Add it to my collection," she answered.

"What collection?"

Parker took us into the Hermes room and opened a secret panel in the wall, revealing a large safe. She opened it in a flash. My jaw dropped. "Is that the Sancy diamond?" I asked shakily.

"Uh-huh."

"But that's supposed to be in the Louvre," I protested.

"My mom took me on a trip to Paris when I was five," she shrugged.

I gasped. "The Star of the South? And the diamond necklace? _The_ diamond necklace of France? Like the Affair of the Diamond Necklace?"

"You betcha," Parker said happily. I put a hand to my forehead and sat down on Parker's bed.

"Whoa, what's 'the Affair of the Diamond Necklace?'" Peter asked, puzzled.

"In the 1780s, King Louis XVI had a diamond necklace made for his mistress, Countess Jeanne du Barry. It took years to complete, but in the middle of that time King Louis died of smallpox and Countess du Barry was banished from court. They offered the necklace to Queen Marie Antoinette, but she refused," I explained. "It was supposed to be broken up between dukes after the French Revolution."

"Nope," Parker smiled. "I stole it from one of the descendants of the dukes."

Footsteps sounded and Parker quickly set the Hope Diamond in her compartment and shut the door, locking it and replacing the panel. It looked just like all the other walls of the cabin.

I gazed up at Parker in wonder. "You are a true daughter of Hermes," I said, awed. "Your father would be proud."

Parker smiled widely. I got up, patted her on the back, and went out into the hall. Connor Stoll, son of Hermes, ran up to me. "Alice," he said breathlessly. "I just caught sight of Elijah Andrews and Miranda Bowman on a raft. I think they're stranded." Connor was the lookout since his father is the god of travelers—he switches out posts with his brother Travis.

I ran outside and to the side of the camp, which was on the very edge of New York, right by the water of the Pacific Ocean. I shielded my eyes from the sun with my hand to see three tiny figures on a raft.

"Are you sure that's them?" I asked Connor.

He put his right hand over his heart. "As sure that I'm the best prankster in the world," he said with a perfectly straight face.

I squinted harder as a fourth figure appeared on Elijah and Miranda's raft. "Who is that?"

"I have no idea," Connor answered. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go switch Maggie Collins's perfume with beetle juice." He started to walk away.

"Connor!" I called after him. "Maggie's Parker's target. Go for Elizabeth. She loves her perfume like it's her wardrobe." I winked at him and turned back to the water.

I asked the water to bring them to me. The ocean rippled and the raft lurched. Then the water pushed it at a steady pace until the raft slid up on shore.

Elijah Andrews collapsed onto the sand.

"Let's get some water over here!" I yelled.

Peter, Elizabeth Bentley (unaware of Connor's plan), and Sophie Salazar ran over. Elizabeth threw a bottle of water at me; I caught it and let Sophie take care of Elijah.

Miranda Bowman was lying on the sand, coughing heavily. Elizabeth propped her up and poured water into her mouth.

I turned back to the raft; a boy was lying unconscious on it, his lips cracked and swollen. A woman was sitting next to him, wearing a white chiton, gold bands around her forearms, and inspecting her reflection in a bronze mirror.

I bowed to her. "My lady."

"Morning, Alice, my dear," Aphrodite said without looking up from her reflection. "Elizabeth."

"Mother," Elizabeth said, ducking her head.

The goddess tapped the edge of her mirror with a single fingernail; it evaporated with a gold sheen. She sighed, shook her gold hair out of her face and stood up daintily from the raft. I went over, picked up the boy's arm, and put it around my neck.

I looked up at Sophie Salazar. "Sophie, will you please take Lady Aphrodite to the living room and give her a glass of nectar?" Sophie nodded and gestured for Aphrodite to go first.

I watched them go for a second, then pulled the boy up in my arms and took him inside. I scooped up some ambrosia and started spooning it into the boy's mouth. It fell out. I scraped it off his chin and put it back in. I fed him the rest of the bowl.

I wrinkled my nose at his dirty shoes and pulled them off. I draped a blanket over him, then got up to rinse a piece of linen with water. I came back and sat on the edge of the bunk, wiping his face gently with it. I was just about to get up and leave when his eyes opened. He looked at me, puzzled and tried to get up. I shoved him back down. "Stay down," I said sternly. I set down the rag and picked up a crystal glass. "Nectar."

I put a straw in it and stuck it in between his lips. He took a sip, pulled back and looked at it curiously, then sucked it down. "Nectar," he said to it excitedly.

I tugged it out of his hand and held it out of his reach. "Whoa, don't drink too much. I don't want to clean up ashes," I said.

"Wh—what?"

"Ah." I smiled sympathetically. "Poor child."

He sat up, looking around. "Where am I? How did I get here? Who are you?"

"You're at Camp Half-Blood," I told him. "I don't know how you got here, exactly. Miranda Bowman and Elijah Andrews haven't woken up yet. Oh, and I'm Alice." The boy looked flustered.

"Don't worry, child, you're safe now." I stood up and pulled the curtains of the window closed. "Rest. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with an Olympian goddess."

I walked out into the hall, closing the door behind me. I started walking down one of the staircases but froze when I saw Travis and Connor Stoll crouching on the steps, peering into the living room.

I put my hands on my hips and cleared my throat. Travis and Connor looked up in surprise. I raised my eyebrows at them. "Really, guys?"

Identical grins appeared on the twins' faces. "Can you blame us? She's the goddess of love," Connor said cockily.

I rolled my eyes. "Men." I shooed them out of my way with a flick of my hand and continued down the stairs.

Aphrodite was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed, sipping nectar and checking her reflection in her bronze mirror. Peter and Sophie were sitting on the couch across from her, fidgeting nervously. I walked in and bowed to the goddess. "Lady Aphrodite."

"Mmm," she responded. She tapped the edge of the mirror with her fingernail again and it vanished.

"What is it you need, my lady?" I asked her.

Aphrodite turned her glass of nectar, studying it. "I have good news: Apollo has _finally_" she rolled her eyes "found Hecate. Her most recent magic trick slipped a little."

"Where?" Peter leaned forward.

The goddess sighed. "The Atlantic ocean."

I blinked. "That's not too far away." I looked at Aphrodite. "How long?"

"With her tricks? I'd give it about a week," Aphrodite said, raising her glass to her lips.

Peter's jaw dropped and Sophie's already pale face whitened. I glanced over her shoulder and saw the Aphrodite kids' faces at the window, straining to catch a glimpse of their mother.

Aphrodite set her empty glass down and stood up, straightening her chiton and her hair. "But then, perhaps I'm overestimating I've never had a very good brain, you know. Now that Apollo's found her, Zeus has no intention of letting her even look at this camp, let alone you children." Everyone let out a sigh. "Well, dear, thank you for the nectar," Aphrodite said. She handed me a mirror. "Give that to Maggie, please."

I bowed to her. "Thank you, my lady."

Peter bowed too. "Thanks for the update, Lady Aphrodite."

Sophie followed our example. We saw the goddess to the water, where she told us she was heading back to Cythera for her yearly visit. Then she evaporated into golden dust and blew away.

Her children stood on the edge of the water in a daze, staring after their mother. I looked at the mirror in my hand. It was made of beaten silver and had an engraving of Aphrodite on the back. I put it in Maggie Collins's hand. "A gift from your mother," I said.

Instantly all the Aphrodite kids crowded around her, their voices a jumble of sounds. I smiled as I walked away, heading for the arena.

I tapped my bracelet. I was there for who-knows-how-long, shooting arrows mainly for amusement. My aim and perception was perfect, no conceitedness intended.

I heard footsteps behind me (as a trained huntress my ears had to be aware of everything), but I didn't turn. I recognized them as Peter's. An arrow that wasn't mine thudded on the target.

Peter didn't talk. I glanced at him and noticed his hair was mussed, as it always was when he was worried or anxious. I sprayed the target mercilessly with silver, still pretending the red circle was one of Hecate's heads. "What is it?" I said to Peter.

"What?"

"What are you worried about?" I repeated.

Peter stared at me. "How—"

"You have a tell."

Peter responded with an arrow to his target. I quickly bored with the practice, and since I was already good at it, tapped my bow, and climbed the nearest tree.

I sat on a high branch and drew a silver arrow from my quiver. I thought about Aphrodite's report, spinning the arrow in my fingers absently.

Hecate and her army were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and they were coming. We had only forty demigods—that's wasn't even close to enough to take on Hecate. Then I remembered that we had Seekers all over the mortal schools to bring back demigods, and the fact that the gods would do everything in their power to protect us. I relaxed a little. But only a little.

Peter was shooting the target halfheartedly. He lowered his bow and started rubbing his head, as he always did when he was worried.

He dropped the bow and climbed the tree, sitting on the branch slightly below mine. His hand went into his hair like a magnet, and it didn't leave. A ray of sunlight poked through the leaves and landed on his hair, so it looked like it was glowing. His hand was still unconsciously messing with it.

Peter looked up at me, coming out of his trance. "Don't worry," I said. "Aphrodite said it'll probably be more than a week. Besides, Hecate won't be allowed within ten miles of us."

"I know." But he didn't seem so reassured.

I smiled. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll cut off her head if she gets near us."

He smiled too. "Which one?"

"Take your pick."

But then Peter's smile shrank a little. "Isn't she immortal, though?" he asked. "So we can't kill her."

"No," I said. "But I don't think a severed head would feel too good."

Peter chuckled.

"Alice! Hey, Alice!" Travis Stoll ran over, tripped on a rock, and fell on his face. He jumped up, his expression dazed, and then ran over to the base of the tree I was sitting in. "Alice," he said breathlessly. "Shawn Spencer and Diana Hunter just got back with Katherine Tyler, daughter of Aphrodite."

"Okay," I said. "So what's the problem?"

"She's not buying it," Travis replied. "I mean, she doesn't believe us about the gods. I thought that if she met a real Hunter of Artemis, she'll finally believe us."

"Fine," I jumped down from my perch and landed firmly on my feet. Rob waved at Peter and walked off with me close behind him.

I followed Robb over to a tree stump with a stubborn-looking girl who must have been Katherine Tyler. Connor Heist was high in the tree above their heads, a suspicious metal bucket in his hands. I frowned at him, but said nothing.

"So," I said to the girl. "Katherine Tyler. You refuse to accept the gods."

"For the last time, there are no such things as gods!" Katherine exploded. She glared at us.

I glanced up at the sky. No clouds. No lightning—yet. I frowned at Katherine. "You are foolish, child."

"See, Katie," Robb said. "Alice here is a Hunter."

"Don't call me that! It's Kit." But then a look of confusion came into the girl's eyes. "Hunter? What does hunting have to do with anything?"

Travis coughed out a laugh. Connor smirked, but kept silent.

Katherine—Kit—Tyler pounded her hand on a tree beside her in frustration. "No!" we all shouted.

The dryad of the tree, whom I recognized as Daphne, melted out of the trunk, wearing her usual leafy-green dress. A circle of her tree's blossoms was braided into her black hair, exposing her slightly pointed ears.

"Who dared to touch my tree?" demanded Daphne.

"Dryads," muttered Robb.

"So touchy," finished Connor very quietly from his tree. No one heard him except for me.

"It's fine, Daphne," I assured her. I looked pointedly at Kit. "Just another new demigod."

"Hmph," said Daphne.

"What's all this talk about gods?" Kit interjected. "They aren't real—" Travis ran forward and covered her mouth with his hand.

"She is ignorant, isn't she?" I remarked.

Daphne snorted. "It shall be the death of her."

I sighed. "Not if her mother has anything to do with it."

I looked up and saw Maggie Collins, sitting by Aphrodite Rock and staring into the mirror her mother had given her. "Maggie!" I called.

She looked up from her mirror, her expression dazed. She shook her head back and forth then got up and came over. "Yeah, Alice? What's up?"

"Meet Kit Tyler," I said.

Maggie took one look at Kit then said, "Cousin or sister?" She quickly decided. "Sister."

I nodded at her, impressed. "Very good." Kit had the usual confused look on her face. "Would you…?" I trailed off.

"Yeah. I got it," Maggie said. She grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her away. But not before Connor dumped his bucket of bright green syrup all over the girls.

Maggie and Kit screamed. I hid my laugh behind my hand. Connor was laughing so hard he fell out of his tree. Maggie was still screaming and trying to get off the sticky substance. Kit was furious. "My clothes!" she shrieked.

Kit was about to jump on Connor, but Maggie held her back and whispered something in her ear. Kit growled under her breath but followed her sister into the house, still covered in Connor's bright green syrup.

Connor, still laughing, got up and slapped his palm with his brother's. I pressed my lips together to stop myself from laughing with them. "Was that absolutely necessary?" I said to him.

He thought for a moment. "Yes. It was." He shared another laugh with his brother. I rolled my eyes and made my way back to Peter.

He was sitting in the same tree I'd left him in, a faraway look in his eyes as he stared of into space. As I reached the trunk, his right hand gravitated toward his hair. I grabbed his hand to stop him.

He jumped, startled. "What? What happened?"

I ignored his question. "Stop worrying." Then I sat on the branch beside his. "Hecate's actions are illogical," I said thoughtfully. "She knows the gods will punish her immensely if she tries to kill us." Peter didn't respond. "It makes no sense to attack Olympus without reason," I continued. "She is the goddess of magic—nothing major like the Olympians."

"…she wants to take over for herself?" Peter murmured.

"I suppose," I agreed. "But she has never attempted this before. Others have, certainly. Typhon and Echidna, Otus and Ephialtes, Hades, Father even, once…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Peter said blankly.

"Typhon and Echidna were…never mind." I knew he wouldn't be listening. I twisted my ring around my pointer finger absently, thinking of Hecate's plans.

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**Now, you've read my intro and now you probably think I'm crazy...JK, I'm totally 70% crazy. Why do you think I spend so much time on this website? :) Review for me, peoples! **

**Kisses! -Alice**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, back for more, are you? Yeah, I don't blame you. I'm awesome. :P *BANG* What the-? Wait here. I'll be right back. *gets up from desk* Parker, go away! No, get OUT! PARKER! NO-**

**Hi guys! Parker Larcener here! O'Hare keeps trying to lock me out, so I pushed her out the window. Just kidding. I paid Travis and Connor to set her lawn on fire. They'll take the fall. Oh, sorry, getting off track: O'Hare won't tell you what's going to happen next, but _I'll _spill. You just wait till you get to the next few chapters. O'Hare's got a twist that's gonna blow you head off. See, 'cause-Oh crap here she comes! Gotta go! *jumps out the window***

***sighs* I've _got _to get rid of those two. Did Parker tell you anything?**

* * *

**11/**

Suddenly the camp was filled with fear. I guessed it had occurred to my cousins that Hecate was really intent on their deaths. They coped in different ways; Peter was constantly rubbing his head, Travis and Connor Stoll's pranks increased, the Aphrodite children never left their mirrors, I tried to keep everyone training, practicing, readying. Hecate was coming in only a few days. I helped strengthen the magical boundary line, an attempt to keep out Hecate's monsters. I dreaded seeing Caterina, Hecate's most important general, again. I worried about losing demigods every day.

Later I caught Parker in the Apollo cabin, putting a curse on their arrows. I rolled my eyes at her, but said nothing. I was just going to the beach on the east side of the camp, which the demigods called Poseidon Beach.

"Alice!"

I turned and saw a Iris-message, with Zoë Perish's head floating in the center. I sucked in a sharp breath. "Zoë! Did you go to the Underworld _again?_ Without permission?"

"Well, yes." I opened my mouth but she hurried on before I could say anything. "The point is, I'm stuck."

"What?" I teased. "Zoë Perish, Underworld expert, stuck?"

She flushed, scowling. "Can't you help me?" she pleaded.

I sighed. "Fine," I said. "I can't believe I have to go back into the Underworld _again._"

"Sorry," Zoë apologized sheepishly.

"Oh, all right," I grumbled. "I'll be there soon. Where are you?"

"I'm stuck between a dark cave that contains the unknown and a really weird river that I don't want to go near. There's barely any space to stand."

"What!"

"Nobody knows I'm here yet," Zoë said. "But I don't think it'll be long until they find me."

"On my way." I slashed my hand through the warm mist-like image, and Zoë disappeared.

I didn't know where Peter was, or Parker, for that matter (I didn't think I wanted to know where she was). I pulled out my dagger and carved circles absently in the sand.

I heard lumbering footsteps behind me and whirled, pointing my emergency crossbow at whatever it was.

Normally I would prefer using my bow and arrows, but crossbows can be useful. They're easy to conceal, quiet, and easily maneuvered. I kept a small pouch containing darts coated with poison that rendered the victim unconscious.

The thing behind me turned out to be Peter. He held his hands up in a surrendering motion and I lowered my weapon.

Peter eyed the crossbow. "What is _that?_"

"Crossbow," I answered. "Listen, Zoë Perish can't get out of the Underworld."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "She left _again?_" I nodded grimly. "And she's _stuck?_" I nodded again. He sighed. "That's so unlike Zoë—she thinks she's the expert of the Underworld."

"She's not," I said. "All Zoë knows how to do is get in and out of her father's realm. She doesn't know what's actually _in it._"

"Okay," Peter said wearily. "Let's go get her."

I heard the trademark giggling of a nymph and the bleating of a satyr. But the only satyr on the grounds was—

"Derek!" Peter said.

The dim-witted satyr dashed after Ariadne the dryad desperately. She turned and waited for him, arms out, but when he got close, she melted into the tree behind her and Derek slammed into the trunk.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Satyrs."

"Derek!" Peter called. "Hey Derek!"

The satyr shook his head back and forth, then clip-clopped over. "Peter!" he said in his thin goat voice. He threw his arms around Peter. I blinked, a little stunned; I hadn't realized how close they had become.

Derek finished hugging Peter and gave me a cocky grin. "Lady Hunter."

I rolled my eyes.

Peter looked at me hopefully. "Can we please bring him?"

I pursed my lips but nodded tightly.

"So do we go through the Door of Orpheus or the main entrance?" Peter said.

"Queen Persephone said not to use the Door of Orpheus," I said. "So I guess we have to go through the main entrance."

Derek shifted nervously. "I don't like going underground. No nature." Then he brightened. "But hey, at least we're goin' to Vegas!"

The usual blur of the world flew by, and Peter, Derek and I were safely on Castor's back. So I was shocked when Castor smacked into something, yelped, and got thrown backwards. All of a sudden I was flying through the air, and, judging from my angle, I was going to crash into a tree. I reached out and grabbed a branch, swinging up and landing safely in the tree. I examined myself; I didn't even have a scratch.

"Alice!" I looked around. Peter was swinging from a telephone pole—his shirt was caught on one of the spokes and his arm was bent at an odd angle. He was struggling not to fall; he was more than ten feet off the ground.

"Peter!" Derek bleated.

"We'll get you down!" I yelled up. "Just give me a minute to think!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" he groaned.

I leaped in front of Derek, a smile on my lips. He backed up a little. "Uh…what're you gonna do?"

* * *

I untied a length of rope from a rope-and-tire-swing and knotted it to the end of one of my arrows. Then I shot it within Peter's reach. I took Derek's jeans, poked that onto another arrow, then shot that next to the first one.

"Peter! Use the jeans to slide down!" I called.

He put his feet on one of the spokes, yanking his shirt sleeve off the pole. He clenched his teeth as he used Derek's jeans to slide down the line. He collapsed on the asphalt, groaning and clutching his right arm. Derek, obviously afraid of mortals seeing him, quickly pulled on his shirt.

The nearest house's front door opened and a young boy ran out. Derek quickly pulled on his pants to hide his furry goat legs.. He rushed forward, lifted Peter up and carried him inside the house.

Derek and I exchanged looks then hurried to catch up with them. Inside it smelled slightly floral. In fact, it was almost intoxicating. There was a small group of people playing cards at the dining room table, children laughing on the carpet, men drinking alcohol. The boy laid Peter on a couch and ran to speak to an old woman. The motherly woman hurried outside and returned with something in her hands.

Derek chewed on a scrap of tin worriedly. I examined Peter's arm. "I think you broke your ulna," I concluded. I glanced at him sympathetically. "I'm really, really sorry about this."

"Sorry about what—_gahh!_" I twisted his arm and shoved in so hard his arm went back into his shoulder with a loud popping noise. "What the hell?"

I gave him a dirty look, then slipped him a bit of ambrosia when no one was looking. He breathed easier as soon as he consumed it.

The old woman returned with a tray loaded with plates and cups. It passed under my nose, and I caught a whiff of the food. It smelled like the rest of the house—floral. It was a strange scent.

The woman smiled. "I'm Irina," she said, with a thick Russian accent. "Here, darlings." She gave us a flower each. Peter eyed it. "Don't worry dear," Irina assured him. "It's perfectly edible." The shape and color of the flower seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

Peter took a bite, and nodded appreciatively. "It's delicious."

Derek shoved the entire flower in his mouth. "Mmff!"

I declined the food and pulled an apple from my belt.

Peter, having eaten the flower, immediately reached for another and another. Derek did the same. I noticed the usual gold glint in Peter's blue eyes was gone.

I surveyed the room with suspicion; the children on the floor had smiles pasted on their faces, their eyes glazed over. Their laughter seemed hollow, and they moved stiffly.

I studied the flower more closely. Then it hit me—it was a _lotus blossom_. I whipped my head around; the wallpaper was painted with lotuses, the designs on the glass of the door were carved lotuses. Everyone but the young boy and the old woman Irina had blank eyes, fake smiles, and robotic movements.

I turned around and saw Peter with his fourth or fifth lotus blossom; I slapped it out of his hand. "Hey!" he protested.

I grabbed a glass of water and threw it in Peter's face. He blinked wildly, shaking his head. The blank look in his eyes left; the gold glint returned.

Derek was stuffing handfuls of lotus blossoms in his mouth. I smacked the flowers out of his furry hand. He started to protest—until I slapped him to wake him up.

I seized Peter's arm (the one that wasn't broken) and pulled him to his feet. Then I dashed to the door and tried to open it; it was locked. I picked up a chair and smashed the window. I jumped through, made sure Peter and Derek were behind me, and leaped on Castor's back.

Peter got on with difficulty, still cradling his arm. Castor walked a few blocks, unable to run, and finally broke into a sprint. "Alice!" Peter yelled in my ear. "What was that place?"

"The lair of the lotus-eaters!" I yelled back. "They give their victims lotus blossoms—it makes the person forget who they are and what they wanted to do. It makes them never want to leave!"

He was stunned into silence. In a flash we were on Las Vegas Boulevard. Quickly we made our way into the basement of Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel. The door looked simpler than ever, still labeled Employees Only I noticed very faint writing on the paint: **Άδης**—Hades.

I ran my fingers over the Greek letters; they glowed and the door transformed into the richly decorated entrance to the Underworld.

I looked back at Derek and Peter and opened the door. It was the same as before; stone walls lined with burning torches, blood-red carpet, and a seemingly endless tunnel.

I hurried to the end and reached the River Styx just as Charon was coming back from the other side. I scooped up a handful of golden drachmas and clapped them into Charon's skeletal hand as soon as his ferry scraped up on the shore. "Passage for three," I said.

The coins disappeared into Charon's robes and we climbed onto his boat. I didn't like the waters of the Styx, and I jumped off as soon as I could. "Zoë said she was between a cave and a strange river," I said thoughtfully. I realized what she meant. "Oh, no…"

"What?" Peter asked.

"She's in between Melinoe's cave and the River Lethe," I explained.

"Could you dumb it down a little?" Derek asked, munching on a soda can. "Satyr brains aren't meant for thinking."

"Melinoe is the goddess of ghosts. Half of her is white, and the other is black. Oh, and the River Lethe is one of the five rivers of the Underworld. One drop from its waters wipes you memory clean."

"What? Half of her is white? I don't get it," Peter shook his head.

"Let's hope it stays in your imagination," I said.

I, unfortunately, knew exactly where poor Zoë Perish was. Peter, Derek, and I marched past Tantalus wailing for food, Ixion pleading for forgiveness as he whirled around on his flaming wheel, and Sisyphus grunting as he shoved his boulder up the hill. We went by Hades' palace, and I shuddered, thinking about my uncle. Then we reached the River Lethe, its pale waters swirling around dangerously. I spotted a dark cave—the lair of Melinoe. A small dark shape at the mouth of the cave cowered; trapped. I recognized the shape as Zoë Perish.

I screwed up my nose and forced the water of the Lethe back so Zoë could run. It didn't want to be restrained, and it fought me.

"Come on, Zoë!" Peter yelled.

She looked fearfully at Melinoe's cave and ran across, throwing her arms over her head. I sighed with relief and let the Lethe crash back down. We all climbed up on Castor's back. We bounded past the obsidian gate and a snarling Cerberus, and leaped over the River Styx. Charon roared in anger as we flew past.

I heard screeching and looked up; the Furies were flying above us, preparing to dive—Hades must have sent them to stop us. I tapped my bracelet and notched an arrow. Then I shot Alecto in the wing. She went down in a death spiral, but I knew she would live.

I sprayed Tisiphone, the Fury of avenging murder, in the face with silver arrows, and with a bloodcurdling shriek, she vanished into the darkness.

Now there was only one left—Megaera, the Fury of grudging. But she was wary of my bow now, and she dodged my arrows.

I cursed in Ancient Greek as my last silver arrow whizzed past her. It would be a few minutes before my quiver refilled itself. Castor was moving nervously, trying to avoid the angry spirits—that kind of thing scared him. I pulled out my dagger and threw it at Megaera. It sunk into her chest and she fell lifelessly—right on top of us.

Zoë shrieked and scooted back as Megeara's ichor, the blood of the immortals, pooled onto her, staining her jeans. I pulled my knife out of Megeara's chest. Then I pushed her off Castor's back. I used the front of Peter's shirt to clean the silver blade.

"Hey!" he protested.

I ignored him and stuck my dagger back into my boot. I scratched Castor behind the ears and urged him toward the exit. We went down the long hallway and out the door (which, surprisingly, Castor fit through).

The mortals inside the silly Nevada hotel yelped as Castor went through them. The mortal security guards came in, but we just burst through the glass door. Castor hurried back to Half-Blood House without my telling him.

As soon as we got there, I jumped off Castor's back and ran into the kitchen. I came back and threw my wolf a bloody slab of meat. He licked my hand appreciatively and started to tear at the meat.

I turned to Zoë. "You are never to go to the Underworld again without my knowing," I said sternly.

Zoë looked down. "Okay." She walked off dejectedly toward the house.

Peter coughed out a laugh. "You sounded like a mom right there."

"I shall never be one," I sniffed.

Peter didn't respond. I went inside the house and stopped Anne Grey as she ran down the hall, looking flustered. I asked her what was wrong.

"The Aphrodite kids are scheduled for archery, but the Apollo group is getting battlefield lessons from the Ares kids," Anne burst out. "I have no idea what to do!"

I sighed. "Oh, all right," I said. "I'll take care of it."

I made my way to the newly-grown arena, where the Aphrodite kids were standing around. I put my hands on my hips and cleared my throat loudly. They all looked up at me. I raised my eyebrows. I pulled aside Shawn Spencer, an acceptable archer, and asked him to keep charge of the in-athletic Aphrodite children.

He nodded, but when I went to check on them later, I found Shawn seated in a tree, plucking the strings of his lyre and singing as the Aphrodite girls listened.

* * *

**Sorry about earlier. I have no idea how Parker figured out my password. Connor and Travis SET MY LAWN ON FIRE. Can you believe that? **

**Anyway, back to the story. Thanks to Zoë Perish, Alice had to run right past Melinoe's cave, who just happens to be on Hecate's side. Did she plan this whole thing? (Melinoe, I mean, not Alice.) Could Zoë be WORKING for Hecate? Wait, how did I get from A to B? **

**Kisses! -Alice**


	12. Chapter 12

**12/**

The automaton lunged at me. I stomped on its sword and quickly twisted its glass eyes; instantly it froze. I stabbed my blade into the ground to lean on it as I wiped sweat off my forehead.

I pulled my sword out of the ground and sheathed it. Then I reached over and twisted the automaton's eyes. It straightened with a mechanical whirring sound, then readied its sword. "Adonis!" I commanded. "Epsilon alpha omega!"

Immediately the automaton Adonis sheathed its sword and walked with a mechanical gait to the armory, where it deactivated itself.

I noticed a gash on my arm where the automaton's sword had cut me. I headed toward Poseidon Beach, walked into the ocean and doused my arm in the salt water. The cut sealed up almost instantly. The water felt so good I ducked my head in.

I instantly felt energized. I got out of the water—completely dry, since I never got wet unless I wanted to—and started walking to the house. I looked up at the sky and saw that it was an hour or so past noon. That meant the Apollo kids were supposed to be taking sword fighting lessons from the Ares kids. I sighed.

The Ares and Apollo children absolutely hated each other. The Ares kids were irritable enough, but they were worse around their cousins. The Apollo children refused to listen to their instructors—especially Shawn Spencer.

Sure enough, when I got to the house, Shawn was sitting on the roof, humming along to the sounds of his lyre.

"Shawn!" I yelled. "Why aren't you in the arena?"

"Uhh, you're breaking up! I think you're driving through a tunnel!" he shouted back.

I rolled my eyes. "If you don't come down I'm going to have to drag you down!" I called.

He just shook his head. I sighed, stretched out my hand, and willed the water of the creek to rise. It obeyed, flew up to the tip of the house, and concealed Shawn inside. Then, in a mass of swirling creek water, it floated down and deposited two objects in front of me: a very confused Shawn Spencer, and an extremely annoyed Harmonia.

She gave me a dirty look; I shot an apologetic one of my own, then lifted the water again, along with the naiad, and let it slosh back into the creek bed. The naiad, back in her waters, flicked a small fish at me, then slipped into her depths.

I turned my attention to the soaking Shawn; he was seated on the ground, a bewildered look on his face. I held out my hand. He took it, and I pulled him up. "Are you ready to practice now?"

"Uh…yeah." Shawn shook his head like a wet dog and started toward the arena.

I smiled after him and continued into the house. Maggie Collins and Elizabeth Bentley came dashing out of the Aphrodite room, squealing. I stepped in their path. "What in the name of the gods is going on?" I demanded.

"Connor Heist just told us there's a new Jacuzzi outside!" cried Maggie, her red curls bouncing.

"A—a what?"

"Ohh," Elizabeth said seriously. "Right—a Jacuzzi is a tub filled with hot water that bubbles."

I still didn't understand what she was talking about, but I did know that if Maggie and Elizabeth were willing to trust Connor Heist, they weren't as intelligent as I'd thought. I sighed and closed my eyes. "All right, where is it?"

Maggie and Elizabeth happily took me to the 'Jacuzzi' thing. On the way, I noticed they were oddly hyper. The water of the tub held a suspicious smell; I grabbed Elizabeth's hand and dipped the tip of her finger in the water. It turned green. "Maggie," I said. She looked up at me, her eyes curiously bright. "Did Connor or Robb give you any food?"

She thought for a long moment, proving my theory of slow reaction time. "I…think so," she said slowly. Then she brightened. "Oh! Elizabeth!" She grabbed her sister's arm. "Didn't Robb give us the most _delicious_ box of chocolates?" She closed her eyes and licked her lips.

"Ooh, yes," Elizabeth responded. "I _love_ chocolate."

I rolled my eyes. I grabbed the arm of a passing dryad. "Bring me Connor and Robb Heist." She nodded and ran off.

I turned around and saw Elizabeth idly playing with a knife. I ran and pried it from her hands. "Okay, Elizabeth, let's get you inside. You too, Maggie."

The Aphrodite girls, having no idea what was happening around them (and jumping like rabbits) went into the house. I shooed them into the Aphrodite room and put them into their bunks. Then I closed the curtains and the door and sighed.

I rubbed my forehead. Connor and Robb were going to have to pay. I knew I couldn't out-prank them—they were the experts and would see right through my plan, no matter how carefully thought-out it was. I smiled to myself as I figured out the perfect way to drive them crazy.

I got to the living room and found Robb and Connor Heist sitting on the couch. "You," I said to them sternly. I rubbed my eyes. "I can't _believe_ that you'd drug Maggie Collins and Elizabeth Bentley just to turn them green."

Robb shrugged. "What were we supposed to do?"

"Yeah," Connor chimed in. Then he shrugged too. "Believe it or not, Maggie and Elizabeth are actually pretty smart. Robb and me had no choice but to—er, dull their brains—"

"—so they would be too loony to notice anything," Robb finished.

Connor changed the subject. "So, Alice, what's our punishment?" he sighed.

"Eternal pit of fire?" Robb laughed. "A Sisyphean task?"

I smiled wryly. "No. You two get to relieve the naiads of washing the dishes" they grinned at each other "but," I said, holding up a finger. "You also get to be one-month-slaves to two of the dryads."

Their eyes wide, they looked at each other, then me. "Who?" Connor asked fearfully.

"You know, Alice," Daphne said pleasantly. "I do believe this will work."

"Yes," Marissa said with a sensual smile. "I believe so." Marissa was a nymph true to her name; she lived in a honeysuckle plant. Marissa's fingers were playing with Connor's curly black hair. The boy's expression was dreamy, absent.

Daphne was seated on a branch bent like a chair, Robb on the ground by her feet. The dryad looked content; I knew she'd like having Robb as her servant.

Even though Robb and Connor Heist looked satisfied, I knew perfectly well that dryads were extremely difficult to please and that the Hermes twins would be exhausted by the end of the hour.

I smiled once more. "Have fun," I said to the twins. I winked at the dryads. "You know what to do."

I caught one glimpse of Connor and Robb's fearful expressions before turning on my heel and walking away. I laughed to myself.

I heard hurrying footsteps behind me as Parker Parkers ran to catch up to me. "What's so funny?" she asked breathlessly.

"I just gave Robb and Connor Heist the most difficult punishment ever," I said. Then I told her what the twins did.

"Whoa," she said. "Even I wouldn't go that far."

I smiled. "That's because you aren't a prankster" she opened her mouth angrily "you're a thief."

"Oh," she said. "Right."

I heard rapid clip-clopping behind me and a, "Alice! Look out!", but I didn't turn fast enough, and I found myself over someone's shoulder, the trees flashing by.

I didn't know who it was, but I didn't care. I reached back, pulled an arrow from my quiver, and stabbed it into the thing's back. It let out a goat-like squeal, and collapsed. I dropped to the ground and rolled away from the thing.

I got to my feet and shook the leaves out of my hair, brushing off my clothes. I realized the thing was a satyr—but it wasn't Derek, Peter's friend. In fact, I didn't recognize him at all.

I scooped up my arrow, cleaned the tip, and tossed it in my quiver. Then I glared in the direction of the satyr. Soon Derek, his hooves making dents in the ground, ran over, breathing heavily.

"What," I said, pointing at the satyr, "is that?"

Derek looked sheepish. "Sorry, Alice," he said apologetically. "It gets lonely here, ya know, since I'm the only satyr."

I pursed my lips at him, threw some leaves at the groaning satyr, and walked away.

I found Peter talking to Anne Grey—arguing, actually. They were standing five feet apart, shouting at each other. I jumped between them.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

Anne blew a strand of hair out of her face. "It doesn't matter," she said, throwing an annoyed glance at Peter.

I gave her a slight nod. "You" I pointed at Peter "go practice archery." He opened his mouth. "No!" I interrupted. "Just go."

He kicked a rock and stalked away, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Someone screamed my name. I glanced at Anne, who drew her sword.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello again! It's me, obviously. Thank God Parker isn't here. I'm at an undisclosed location so she can't bother me. Or break into my house. Or-never mind. I'm using my for-emergencies-only-laptop. **

**Moving on. What's happening at the boundary line? Is it some kind of monster trying to get into camp? Am I giving you clues? Read on to find out! Seriously. Stop reading the bold print and LOOK DOWN.**

* * *

**13/**

We ran outside. Anne and I reached the boundary line where there was…everyone. Every demigod at Camp Half-Blood was lined up on the magical boundary line, dressed in full Greek armor.

I spotted Peter and jogged to his side. "What is it?" I asked breathlessly.

"That." He pointed to the sky.

I looked up, saw who he was looking at, and my breath caught in my throat. I dropped to one knee and lowered my head. I felt Peter's eyes on the top of my head.

"What are you doing?" he asked in bewilderment.

I didn't look up. "What are _you_ doing?" I shot back. "That's Artemis!" Peter froze, then knelt hastily.

Artemis was using her favorite method of transportation: her moon chariot. The shine blinded us, but it dimmed to a simple glow. She stepped gracefully out of her chariot, looking around with a critical eye.

"Lady Artemis," I said respectfully.

"Alice," she said, and her voice was filled with relief. I felt her hands on my shoulders and she rose me from my kneel. She looked around, at all the demigods kneeling before her. Her brow furrowed. "Why are they wearing armor?" she murmured in my ear. "Are you training them?"

"No, my lady," I murmured back. "They are naught but children; your moon chariot startled them."

She raised an eyebrow. "I shall wait for you in my room," she said quietly.

I nodded, and she disappeared in a shower of silver. Peter jumped to his feet. "What did she want?"

"Nothing," I said. I raised my voice. "Anne, Joan! Take your siblings and go to the arena." Anne Grey and Joan DeWitt shot angry glances toward each other, which surprised me. I hadn't realized how competitive they were.

Anne glanced at her brother and sisters once, and her siblings went into single file; they followed her toward the arena. Joan and the rest of the Ares children let out a war-like cry and ran after the Athena kids.

"Elizabeth, Peter, go to the stables for pegasi riding," I continued. "Elijah, Robb, Tyler, the woods. You can play demigod hide-and-seek with the nymphs." Robb and Connor Heist grinned at Tyler Bryce and Elijah Andrews, who rolled their eyes. "Oh, and Brian, take your sister to the creek by the house. Harmonia will love her."

They all followed my directions quietly and separated.

I sighed. I kind of missed my life as a Hunter, but my duty was here. I climbed back on Castor's back and rode to the house. When I reached it, the rooms were empty. Except for one. _What could Artemis possibly want?_ I wondered as I walked down the hall. I knocked on the door of the Artemis room.

"Enter," came her voice from inside.

I pushed open the door and bowed to her. "My lady," I said. "What is your wish?"

"There's trouble with the war," she said. The moon goddess looked tired and weary all of a sudden. Even her silvery tunic seemed to dim. "I need my lieutenant. You are, of course, still expected to take care of the camp. You have permission to use Hestia-messages to contact the children here."

"Of course, my lady," I said. "Let me put someone in charge, and I can go back with you."

Artemis nodded, obviously relieved. "Moon chariot," she said, and she was gone.

I felt sad suddenly. Though most of the demigod children were incredibly irritating, I was going to miss them.

As I was walking back toward Artemis's moon chariot, I thought about who I would leave in charge. The only person I would really trust is Peter, but he was but a child, physically as well as mentally. **(I know, I'm a huge NERD :D)** In whose hands could I entrust Camp Half-Blood?

"_Sophie!"_ I called in Ancient Greek. _"Anne!" _Ancient Greek is funny with demigods. If you shout something in it, then all demigods within ten miles will hear you. So when I yelled for Sophie and Anne, they came immediately.

The two daughters of Athena were out of breath when they reached me.

"What?" Anne asked, breathing heavily as Sophie panted with her hands on her knees.

"I'm leaving," I said as soon as Sophie got her lungs back.

"What?" the girls said in unison. They exchanged looks.

"Is that why Artemis is here?" Sophie asked.

"Among other things," I said. "Anne, I need someone to be in charge while I'm gone, and that person is going to be you."

Anne's mouth fell open. "Me? You want me?"

"Yes," I said. "I can't trust Peter's judgment, so that leaves you. I want you to organize everything." She nodded.

I looked back at Sophie. "You're going to be Anne's second-in-command, okay?"

She blinked. "I am?"

"Yes," I said. "Any ideas, or problems, you go to Anne."

Anne nodded. "I'll miss you," she told me. "I'll never get tired of you kicking Jared de la Rue's butt." She hugged me before I could react. I hugged her back.

"Be careful," I said sternly. "I'll be in touch."

We released each other and separated; Anne and Sophie going to the arena, I going to Artemis.

I climbed into Artemis's moon chariot and clamped my hands tightly on the silver. Artemis snapped the reins and the reindeer that pulled the chariot returned to the sky, the wind blowing our hair around our faces. I felt enlightened by the goddess's presence, though weighed down by leaving my cousins. Artemis smelled like moonlight—literally. The scent filled me up and calmed me. The goddess looked down at me, her gaze sympathetic.

"You shall be back," she said. "Zeus has appointed you the official Guardian of the children."

I moistened my lips. "This is a great honor," I said, "but that means I have even more responsibility. The children are arrogant and illogical; they harm themselves often. I shall be held responsible, if anything goes wrong."

"_If_ anything goes wrong," she said, "I shall shield you from Father's wrath—to a point."

I tucked my hair behind my ear. "Thank you, my lady." I looked down, at the world sprawled beneath us. "Where are we stationed at current?" I asked, lapsing back into my position as Artemis's lieutenant.

"California," she said.

I looked at her in surprise. "But what about—"

"Mount Othrys?" she asked. "We shall be fine, Alice. We are far from Mount Tam."

"As you wish," I murmured. I glanced down again at the earth and blinked. "Lady Artemis?"

"Yes, child?"

"Why are we going east? California is west," I said.

"I know, Alice," she said patiently. "We're going to Delphi."

I blinked. "In Greece?"

Artemis nodded.

"The Oracle?" I guessed. "Why?"

Artemis's expression soured. "A request from my brother," she rolled her eyes. "His Oracle has been saying your name."

"What?"

Her eyes flashed to me, her gaze as silvery as her moon chariot. "A prophecy, child," she said. "A prophecy."

I was silent. I watched as the United States floated away, and nothing but the blue of the ocean was below us. "My lady?" I said.

"Hmm?"

"Won't Lord Zeus be angry if I venture into his realm?" I asked a little fearfully.

"Not on this mission, child." Her voice was grim. "He won't like resisting, but he won't blast you out of the sky."

"Do you know what the prophecy says?" I asked.

She was silent for a moment. "No," she said finally. "Not even I know."

We were silent as the chariot whooshed over the Atlantic, then over Europe. "What will the mortals think when we pass?" I asked.

"With luck, they won't see us," Artemis answered.

I didn't ask what would happen if they did. Mortals are funny creatures. They bend strange events to fit their logic, like, say the moon (a.k.a. Artemis's chariot) passing right over Greece. They'd call it a comet or something silly like that.

Almost all mortals had abandoned the Greek gods; most of them were into monotheism—Catholicism and Christianity, most commonly. But Greek culture was everywhere. In fact, it seems that American mortals have copied almost everything from Greek language, to Greek architecture, to Greek names. I'd bet the American mortals wouldn't like to hear that, though.

Artemis pulled on the reins, and the reindeer landed on an abandoned road. She pulled on the reins and the reindeer trotted down the street.

"Do we have to give the Oracle an offering?" I asked.

"No," she said, pulling on the reins expertly and stopping the chariot. She quickly strode to one of the crumbling pillars and waited for me expectantly. I jogged over to her. She gestured to a small carving of a sun on the stone. "Well?"

I understood. See, most secret magical rooms or tunnels have only one way of entrance: usually a carving of the symbol of the builder or god the structure was built for. Only the touch of a demigod would grant entrance. So I touched the sun on the faded stone. It glowed gold and the ground opened to our left, revealing a set of very, very old stairs. Artemis adjusted her silver crown; I did the same. We exchanged glances and began down the stairs. The air was musty and damp as we proceeded down the steps. When we reached the bottom, there was a long, dark hall lit by torches.

At the end of the hall was a mysterious wooden door. Artemis nudged me forward. "I'll wait outside," she said quietly.

I watched her climb the stairs, watched the door slide shut behind her, watched the dust fall from the stone. I took a deep breath. I walked hesitantly down the corridor to the door. I pushed it open.

The room inside was pitch black, except for one small lantern on the ground. A dark figure sat on a tripod, over a crevice in the floor. Smoke curled from the crack and engulfed the eerie silhouette.

The lantern flared suddenly, lighting up the room, allowing me to see clearly the Oracle of Delphi.

It was a girl about fourteen years old, with long black hair and copper skin. She wore a simple white chiton and gladiator sandals. A crown of braided gold encircled her head.

My breath caught as I noticed what she was wearing around her throat. "The necklace of Harmonia."

The girl's eyes flashed open. I leaped backwards. _"I am the Oracle of Delphi,"_ she said in an ominous voice. _"Approach, daughter, and ask."_

I took a shaky breath. "Hail, Great Oracle of Delphi," I said. "I have come to ask of the prophecy."

The girl got to her feet, her eyes changing from clear amber to blazing black rimmed with fire. Her jewels glittered in the light. She shuddered suddenly, straightened, and spoke her prophecy. When she had finished, moved back and repositioned herself on her stool, her eyes closing and her head bowing. The lantern's bright light died slowly until it was just a dim glow.

I bowed to her and retreated to the hallway. I made my way back toward the surface in a daze, jolted by the Oracle's prediction.

The next thing I knew, Artemis was standing in front of me, looking at me intently. "Alice, child, are you all right?"

I shook myself. "Yes," I said.

Artemis cocked her head. "What did she say?"

I repeated the words of the Oracle. Artemis's expression was thoughtful, her eyes fixed on her brother, the sun.

"We should leave before a mortal sees us, my lady," I murmured.

She shook her head as if shaking off a trance. "Yes, of course," she said. "Call the chariot." She pushed her ivory horn into my hands. I raised it to my lips and blew.

The reindeer lumbered over, pulling the moon chariot with them. Artemis and I stepped into the silver; the goddess snapped the reins, and we started back toward North America—and the United States.

I cast a worried look down at New York as we passed over it, thinking of Camp Half-Blood and the demigod children. "No one is to know about this prophecy, correct?" I said, staring down at the earth.

"Of course," she said. "Except for the other half-bloods mentioned."

"But, my lady," I protested, "Zoë Perish and I are the only children of the eldest brothers."

"For now child," Artemis said. "For now." Her tone didn't assure me.

What could the Oracle mean? I, obviously, was one of the demigods mentioned in the Oracle's prophecy. But I was the only one. My blood ran cold as I realized what it meant.

Me, daughter of Poseidon. Zoë Perish, daughter of Hades. That left an unknown, a child of Zeus. But Zeus (according to my list) had no children. Unless he lied. Unless he already had one.

But Zeus would want his child (whoever they may be) to be at Camp Half-Blood—unless they were too young. Then he would keep them with their mother (whoever _she_ may be) until he thought they were grown up enough.

After ten silent minutes I saw it: California. "Lady Artemis, where are we camped exactly?" I asked.

"Deep into Sequoia National Park," she replied. "Mortals visit from time to time, but if they see anything I just wash their memories."

"Understood," I said.

The reindeer dived and swooped into a thick wood. I caught sight of the Hunter's camp; all the girls stood.

"Our numbers have tripled," I said in surprise.

"Oh, yes," Artemis said pleasantly. "I had forgotten to mention; a significant number of girls have wandered into our camp."

"All mortal?" I asked as we got out of the chariot.

"Yes," she replied. "Very unusual."

As we walked into the camp, all the Hunters got to their feet and bowed. "Lady Artemis, I need permission to contact the camp," I murmured.

She gave me a questioning look.

"I want them looking for the third girl mentioned in the prophecies," I said quietly. "The other two are me and a young demigod named Zoë Perish, daughter of Hades."

She nodded. "Of course. Mention nothing of the prophecy, of course."

I nodded back. I passed many girls I had never seen before, but I was looking for my old companions.

I should explain a little about the Hunters before I go on. Before that day, we had maybe fifteen to twenty Hunters in our camp. There are about three to four Hunters to each silver tent. The first letter of the Hunters' names would be etched into the fabric in gold.

If a mortal happened to stumble across our camp, well, it depends on who the person was. A girl, for example, would be offered a position as one of our Hunters. If she refused, then most commonly the girl's memories would be washed in the Lethe. A boy, well…let's just say he would look like a porcupine by the time he got to Hades. And that's if he was lucky.

I noticed as I walked that the tents had multiplied, like the girls. There were new girls as young as eleven and some as old as, well, me. Finally I found the silver tent with the Greek letters Alpha, Gamma, and Omicron sewn in gold. I pushed aside the cloth and two blurred shapes flew at me like bullets.

"Alice!"

Bethany and Eleanor pushed me back and smiled. "You're back!" Bethany said.

"I _am_ back," I said, smiling. "Bethany, you have to tell me everything that's happened since I left."

"Of course," she assured me.

"When's the next free day?" I asked.

"Tomorrow," Eleanor said.

I smiled. "Great."

"Alice, do you want to meet the newcomers?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes," I said. "But I have to send an Iris-message first."

A curious look crossed Eleanor and Bethany's faces, but they said nothing. I pushed out of the tent and made my way to behind our camp.

I built a fire and fished a golden drachma from my leather pouch. "O, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering," I murmured. I tossed the coin into the fire. "Anne Grey, Camp Half-Blood."

I saw Anne in the arena, fighting Jared Bennett. I smiled. "Anne!" I called.

"What, Sophie?" she said in annoyance. "Look, I said I'll talk to Alice about your inspection thing, okay?"l

I raised my eyebrows. "Not Sophie, but what inspection thing?"

Anne froze at my voice. She dodged Jared's thrust, kicked his legs out from under him, pinned his shirt to the ground and turned to face me. Her face lit up. "Alice!"

I smiled at her.

"Hey, Alice," groaned Jared from the ground.

Anne seemed to realize he was still there and pulled out her sword. She sheathed it.

"Hi, Jared," I said.

"Are you at the Hunter's camp already?" Anne asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Where is it?" Jared asked, poking his head over Anne's shoulder. Anne recoiled and elbowed Jared out of the way.

"Undisclosed location," I said. A twig snapped; I looked behind me, but I saw nothing. I gave the trees a suspicious look and turned slowly back to Anne.

"What is it, Alice?" Anne asked.

"Nothing," I said. "It's nothing. So what did Sophie want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, that," she said. She shot a dirty look at Jared. "Shoo."

Jared stuck out his tongue at her, sheathed his sword, and stalked away. Anne made a face at his back, then looked back to me.

"Sophie has a few ideas about improving camp," she said. "And I think they're really good."

Another twig snapped; I stiffened and gripped the hilt of my sword. I turned to look at the huge trees again and saw…nothing.

"Alice?" Anne said. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm not sure," I said. "Quick—tell me about Sophie's good ideas."

"Okay, um, she wants to set up an inspection sort of thing," Anne spoke hurriedly. "For example, a head counselor is picked to inspect all the rooms each morning and evening. Say, I was the first inspector. I carry a scroll and check every room in the house, giving each group a number out of five."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Do it. Anything else?"

"Yeah, um, she wants to create training schedules with you once you come back," Anne said.

"Okay," I agreed. "Give Sophie a drachma and tell her she's a true daughter of Athena."

Anne raised an eyebrow.

"It'll raise her self-esteem," I told her. She nodded understandingly.

There was a rustle and a crack behind me. I turned and found myself staring into the glowing red eyes of a hellhound.

My hand moved toward my quiver, but the hellhound snarled at me. It crouched and shook its tail back and forth. My hand hovered near my leather pouch.

The hellhound growled and bared its teeth, its luminescent eyes following my hand. It jumped; I pulled out my cross bow and shot it directly between the eyes. Its body fell to the dirt and exploded into flames—but not before I seized its enormous black paw.

Everything else disintegrated except for the huge paw in my hand. I looked back and saw Anne's horrified face.

"Why…" she cleared her throat. "Why did you keep the paw?"

"Proof," I said calmly. "Look, I have to go, but if you have any news on Peter or Sophie's ideas send me a Hestia-message, okay? Oh, and if you find a new demigod daughter of Zeus, I need to know ASAP, right?"

Anne's eyebrows shot up. "Daughter of Zeus? Alice, what's going on?"

"Nothing that concerns you," I told her cautiously. "Again, I have to go. Be careful, Anne."

"You too, Alice," she said. I swiped my hand through the warm image and looked down at the black paw in my hand.

I extinguished the fire and, clutching the hellhound's paw tightly, went back to the camp. I walked to Artemis' tent, a huge, blazing silver tent the size of a house.

I heard whispers as I walked, but I ignored them; I didn't know why they would whisper about me. I twitched the opening of the tent. "Lady Artemis?"

"Enter," Artemis's voice floated through the fabric.

I pushed aside the cloth and ducked inside. Artemis's silvery gaze zeroed in on the paw in my hand and lit up. "Ah, another piece for my collection." She rose from her throne and took the paw from me.

She was smiling as she rubbed her finger and thumb together and a silver nail materialized in her fingertips. As she pinned the paw to the wall, she said over her shoulder, "Where did you get this? And why didn't you bring the pelt?"

"A hellhound, my lady," I said. "I was sending an Iris-message to the child's camp when it appeared out of nowhere. I killed it, naturally and brought the paw to show you."

"A hellhound," she murmured. "We killed the last ones months ago. They went to Uncle—Tartarus. It is impossible for them to escape Tartarus…"

"Unless someone let them out," I finished.

Artemis's brow furrowed. "But why would Hades do that?" she wondered.

"My lady?" I said.

Her eyes flashed to me. "Hmm?"

"Why am I the only daughter of Poseidon?"

The goddess's expression became thoughtful. "Oh, that. Why Father, Poseidon, and Hades stopped having children is a mystery to everyone," she told me. "Some say it's because Hera became angry with Father about Heracles _and _Peseus _and _Polydeuces _and _Helen, so to make her stop he swore he wouldn't have any more affairs with mortals. The rumor is that Persephone and Amphitrite followed suit and here we are. But I do not think Father is that childish. I believe they simply agreed that their children interfered with the mortal world too much."

"I see," I said. "Thank you; you did not have to tell me."

Artemis's smile was as bright as her chariot. "You are my lieutenant, Alice. I believe you must know all."

"Lady Artemis, what do we do about the hellhound?" I asked as she turned back to the paw.

"We must be cautious," she replied. "There isn't much we can do. I will talk to Father."

* * *

**Check back next time to see what happens next! :D**

**~ Alice ~**


	14. Chapter 14

***sigh* You know, I'm getting tired of these boring chapters. I mean, I guess they're only boring to me 'cause I'm the one who wrote them and I have to proof-read them over and over and over and over and...well, you get the point. Anyway, I'll tell you something: I've got a twist here that's kinda predictable, but good at the same time. :)**

**Well? Aren't ya gonna read it? Huh? Read, my viewers, read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ideas I have used and/or altered in the making of this fanfic.**

* * *

**14****/**

As the days increased, so did the number of demons—obviously from the Fields of Punishment, but it bothered no one except for me, Artemis, and a few of the older Hunters.

For the new girls it was fun; I understood that, but they had no idea how serious it was. Some moments I wished I could be as clueless and happy as they were, but I banished the thought almost as quickly as it came, reminding myself of my responsibilities.

Mostly it was hellhounds, but the occasional dracaena or empuse would wander near us. No Hunters were harmed; one touch of a Hephaestus-brand silver arrow, and the demon (whatever the kind it was) would disintegrate.

There had never been any kind of fighting among the Hunters—until now. Caroline, the insufferable girl, would have been better off as a daughter of Ares. She picked a fight with everything that crossed her path, whether it was a demon, game, an innocent (clueless) mortal, or even another Hunter.

Artemis frowned at Caroline's behavior, and I sensed bad fortune for the girl. One spring morning, Artemis's temper snapped.

Caroline had found a silver deer, killed it, skinned it, and flaunted the pelt proudly. _Stupid girl,_ I thought. _She doesn't even know that the silver deer is Artemis's symbol._

Artemis exploded upon seeing the dead deer. A blinding flash erupted form her, and Caroline was suddenly a hound, whimpering at Artemis's suddenly fiery gaze. The dog darted off into the trees before the goddess could do any more to her.

I soothed Artemis's temper with a new bear pelt, which I had been saving since her first scolding toward Caroline. She relaxed and dropped into her throne, sighing.

"Alice, so many are betraying me," she said. "First it was Callisto, then the Pleiades, even Petronilla." Her silvery gaze cut to me. "You would not follow the footsteps of those wretched girls, would you, Alice?"

I recoiled. "I would not dream of it, my lady. The only way I will leave your service is in death."

Artemis smiled weakly. "Thank you, dear."

The next few months were empty of game. Artemis moved our camp back to New York, but by then it was winter, and the cities and forests were covered in a thick blanket of snow.

Artemis hated the winter, since no animal with common sense would be out in the snow unless it was starving or stupid. So the Hunters spent most of our time using hills of snow for target practice. (We didn't dare use trees—the dryads would get ruthless revenge on us.)

Snow was falling gently on the roof of our tent, making a soothing sound, but that didn't help me sleep. Everyone else had dropped off, even Artemis, in her tent. The feeling that something was wrong kept me lying awake, staring at the cloth ceiling of the tent.

Eleanor and Bianca were snoring delicately when I stole out of our tent, my quiver strapped to my back and my sword at my side. It was completely silent in the forest as I walked.

I grabbed a canteen of water and splashed it on my face, sighing. A rustle of leaves made me stiffen; I turned slowly in a circle, glaring at the wood suspiciously. Another rustle and crack and a silver deer burst from the trees.

I ran after it without thinking, hurtling through bushes, trampling leaves, leaping over logs. I followed it for a long while, the camp getting farther and farther behind me. The deer and I neared the city, finally vanishing through a hedge.

I tapped my bracelet and pulled an arrow from my quiver, notching it silently. I jumped through the hedge and aimed my bow at the first thing I saw, which turned out to be—

"Zoë?"

"Alice?"

I lowered my bow so I could see the girl clearly. The daughter of Hades looked the same since I'd last seen her: long black ponytail, black eyes, olive skin.

"What are you doing here?" I said, tapping my bow and returning my arrow to my quiver.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she said.

"Hunter's camp is nearby," I answered. "I saw a silver deer and figured it was some sort of sign, so I followed it here. What about you?"

"Saw a…spirit," she said uneasily, her eyes flicking back and forth.

I raised my eyebrows, but I said nothing. "Why aren't you at Camp Half-Blood?" I said.

Zoë looked at the ground.

"Zoë, were you going to the Underworld?" She didn't answer. I sighed. "You know you're not supposed leave camp without permission from me or Sophie."

"I'm not going to get permission from Sophie!" Zoë said indignantly. "She's what, twelve?"

"So are you," I reminded her.

"No I'm not!" she said defiantly. "I'm thirteen."

"And I'm four hundred and eighty one," I said. "Do not leave the camp. You're a daughter of Hades, Zoë; your scent is much stronger than the other demigods'."

She rolled her eyes at me.

I ran my tongue over my teeth. "You're going to get hurt one of these days," I said. "Remember when I had to rescue you from in between Melinoe's cave and the Lethe?"

A snap sounded somewhere behind Zoë and we both tensed. We stood back to back, her sword out, my arrows notched.

A girl stumbled through the branches, grimy, scraped, and disoriented. She collapsed at our feet with a groan. I immediately tapped my bow and knelt next to her.

I felt her forehead, opened her eyelid, and checked her pulse. "She's a little scraped and bruised," I said to Zoë in a low voice, "but otherwise she's fine."

Zoë dropped to one knee beside her and her eyes widened. "Alice," she said, turning the girl's arm to show me.

"Lightning," I breathed, staring down at her. "The daughter of Zeus."

Zoë heard the change in my voice. "Alice? What's wrong?"

"Just something…someone predicted," I said, not wanting to tell her about the Oracle's prophecy.

Her eyes widened. "A prediction? Like…a prophecy?"

I pursed my lips.

"It _is_ a prophecy, isn't it?" A grin spread across Zoë's face. "An oracle? Which one?"

I sighed through my nose. "I don't think I'm supposed to tell you, but it mentions three daughters of the oldest gods."

"That's us," Zoë said.

"Yes, Zoë, I know. I heard it from the Oracle herself," I said, internally rolling my eyes.

We both looked down at the girl.

"Maybe you should take her to the Hunter's camp, Alice," Zoë murmured.

I shook my head. "We have over fifty Hunters now," I said. "We don't need more."

Zoë frowned. "Does that mean—?"

"Yes," I said. "I'm going with you. But you have to come with me first."

"Where—where am I?"

We looked down at the girl, who hadn't spoken till now. Her irises were the color of the sky, proving she was the daughter of Zeus.

I ignored the girl's question. "Do you know your name, child?" I asked her.

"Mariah," she whispered. "Mariah Evans."

"Good," Zoë said encouragingly.

"My name is Alice, and this is Zoë," I told her. "We're going to take you to my camp, okay?"

"A camp?" Mariah said, sitting up with new energy. "What kind of camp?" Her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Zoë and I glanced at each other.

"Listen, Mariah, do you know how you got here?" Zoë said.

Her brow furrowed. "No," she said slowly. "I think…someone was chasing me."

"It's good you remembered at least a little bit," I said kindly. "Mariah, how old are you?"

"Sixteen," she answered.

"What!" Zoë said. "Why do I have to be the youngest?"

"Why do I have to be the oldest?" I countered. Then I smiled and turned back to Mariah. "You have taken Latin class in high school, haven't you?"

"Yeah," she said. "The whole Olympians; Roman gods thing."

"Yes," I said patiently. "But without the Roman part; the Romans stole practically everything from the Greeks."

"Americans too," Zoë muttered.

I ignored her. "Anyway, the Greek gods—the Olympians—are real. They watch us, they manipulate us, they control us. We're basically they're entertainment."

"We?" Mariah said.

"Demigods," said Zoë. "That's us."

Mariah looked up in surprise, her blue eyes wide. "Demigods?"

"Yes," I said. "Children of the Olympians."

"My dad is Hades," Zoë said, kind of glumly.

"Yes," I said, frowning, "Hades. My father is Poseidon."

"Why are you telling me this?" Mariah said.

"Man, is she slow," Zoë muttered.

"Zoë," I said. "I know Hades and Zeus are rivals, but that's no reason to—"

"Poseidon and Zeus are rivals too," Zoë said stubbornly.

I sighed. "Can we stay on topic, please? The point is that Mariah is the daughter of Zeus."

"W—what?" Mariah looked from Zoë to me.

"Yes, Mariah," Zoë said.

"You are the daughter of Zeus," I said. "Our cousin."

Mariah's blue eyes narrowed and her mouth shrank to a thin line. "Prove it."

Zoë's hand shot out and seized Mariah's arm. "There's all the proof you need."

Mariah tugged her arm out of Zoë's grip. "A birthmark?"

"A tattoo," I corrected. "We all have one." Zoë and I showed Mariah our own tattoos. "They're out parents' symbols: Helm of Darkness for Hades, trident for Poseidon, and lightning bolt for Zeus."

Mariah seemed to take it well. "Fine," she said. "Where are we going, then?"

"To the Hunter's camp with Alice," said Zoë.

I frowned. "She's probably wondering where I am."

Mariah stared blankly. "Who?"

"Artemis, of course," I said, smiling. "Let's go."

We started back the way I had come, Mariah silently trudging through the snow, Zoë quiet at first, but soon complaining.

"Alice, do we really have to go to the Hunter's camp?" she whined. "Why can't you just send her a Iris-message?"

"Iris-message?" Mariah repeated.

"The most common use of communication among demigods," I explained. "Iris, goddess of the rainbow, is kind enough to send messages for us. Make a rainbow, insert a drachma, and say who you want to talk to."

"Oh," said Mariah, looking away.

Zoë wouldn't quit her grumbling until we reached the outskirts of the Hunter's camp. It was quiet, but I spotted a light in Artemis's tent. I knew she was expecting us.

I pushed through the cloth and bowed to her. "Forgive me, Lady Artemis," I apologized. "I saw a silver deer and it led me to these two." I waved at hand toward Zoë and Mariah.

Artemis's silvery gaze cut to Zoë and Mariah. She gave me a questioning look.

"Zoë Perish, daughter of Hades, and Mariah Evans, daughter of Zeus," I said.

Her eyes widened and she gracefully got to her feet. "It seems I have a new sister," she said. She studied Mariah with an unreadable expression, making Mariah cringe.

"My lady, I would like to take Mariah to Camp Half-Blood as soon as possible. I would send her with Zoë, but from past experience…" I trailed off.

"Of course," Artemis said. "Come back as soon as you've dropped her off. Make sure she is taken care of. You know how strong her scent will be as soon as she's let into the mortal world."

I nodded. "I will leave immediately—with your permission, of course."

"Granted," she said.

I bowed and backed out of the tent.

"Alice," said Mariah, "how are we going to get to this camp _she_ was talking about?"

Zoë glanced at me. "Castor?"

"Castor," I agreed. I whistled loudly and Castor lumbered over sleepily and lay down with his head on his paws. I rubbed his head. "Good boy." I climbed on his back, ignoring Zoë having to pull Mariah along. A minute later we were just outside the boundary line of Camp Half-Blood. Castor was obviously too tired to run much, so he just walked to the Big House and sat down in a huff, with a huge, toothy yawn.

I was just opening the door when the flash of a sword alerted me. I pushed aside the flat of the blade with the palm of my hand and kicked the assailant in the chest. I caught the next strike between my arm and my torso and knocked the hilt out of whoever-it-was's hand. I gripped the hilt and held the sword like a baseball bat, using the flat of the blade to whack the person on the side of the head, then the arm, then the stomach.

The person, whoever it might be, collapsed on the ground. I stood over them, ready to deliver another blow, when Zoë flicked the lights on.

"Tyler?"

He let out a sound that seemed to be something in between a groan and a laugh. "Alice? Is that you?"

I grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Why are you here?" he asked, rubbing his right arm. I glanced behind me. "Zoë?" Tyler said, his expression first surprised then stern. "Were you going to the Underworld? Without telling anyone?"

She rolled her eyes. "Why is everyone saying that?"

"Who is this?" Tyler said, tilting his chin toward Mariah.

"Mariah Evans," I said. "Daughter of Zeus."

Tyler's eyes widened. "Zeus?"

"Do _not_ let Robb and Connor Heist near her," I told him.

He looked uncomfortable, but nodded. "Sure. Take her to the Zeus room?"

"Yes. Remember, Robb and Connor Heist," I added. "Oh, and, don't let Zoë out of your sight."

"Right," he said. "What are _you_ going to do?"

"Back to the Hunter's camp," I said. "Undisclosed location."

"'Kay," he said.

"Tell Peter I said hi," I said as I walked out the door.

I woke Castor and went back to the camp. Everyone was still asleep (save for Artemis), so I crept back into my tent and dropped to sleep. Just before my eyes closed, I thought I saw Bianca's bright blue eyes staring at me, but I assumed it was just my imagination. At least, I hoped.

* * *

**Oh. My. God. Can there really be a daughter of ZEUS?**

**Just kidding, of course there can. I'm the author! Though my characters do tend to come alive... Oops. I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Shh. Don't tell them I told you. And NO, I'm NOT CRAZY. My mother had me tested.**

**~ Alice ~**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi, people who love reading! Thanks for clicking on my link! So, aren't you guys wondering where the new daughter of Zeus is? You've heard the prophecy, aren't you trying to figure out what's going to happen next?**

**Connor: *yawn* Why would they care?**

**Me: Connor? What are you doing here?**

**Connor: Huh? What? Oh, Parker gave me your keys.**

**Me: *checks purse for keys* Parker!**

**Travis: Parker? Oh, she's hiding from you.**

**Me: *groans* GET OUT! *shoves them out the door and locks it***

**Connor throught the door: You'll never get rid of us, O'Hare!**

**Travis: Never!**

**Me: GO AWAY! You'll RUIN IT!**

**Joan from corner: Hasn't Parker already done that?**

**Me: *tries to strangle her***

* * *

**15/**

Someone shook my shoulder gently. My eyes flew open and Bianca was standing over me.

"Are you awake now?" she said with a smile.

I sat up. "What time is it?"

"Little past dawn," she answered.

I ran a hand through my hair and put on my circlet. "Where's Eleanor?" I asked as I strapped my quiver to my back.

"She and a few of the new girls went to catch a bear," she said, handing me my sword.

"We're moving camp today, aren't we?" I said.

"Maine, I think."

I nodded. "Lady Artemis?"

"Waiting for you to wake up," she said. "I'm going to go help Eleanor with that grizzly." She ducked out of the tent and ran off with the silent steps of a huntress.

I rubbed my eyes and pulled on my boots, slipping in my dagger. I zipped up my sleeping bag and hurried to Artemis' tent.

"My lady?" I called through the fabric.

"Mmm? Come in, Alice."

I went inside and bowed. "You wanted to see me, my lady?"

"Yes, I would like you to begin pulling down the tents as soon as everyone is present," Artemis said, taking a sip of nectar from a drinking skin.

"I will do so when everyone's returned to camp," I assured her. "Do you need anything before then?"

"I want to send a scout or two to look over the woods in Maine. Can you pick someone for me?" She brushed crumbs off her tunic and smiled at me.

"Of course, my lady," I said, bowing to her. "I'll start now." As I left the tent I knew who to choose: Marianne. I would've chosen Bianca or Eleanor, but they were away trying to catch Artemis a bear, so she was my third choice.

I told her what to do and let her borrow one of the timber wolves so she could get across to Maine. I told her to come back as soon as possible.

Even though it wasn't my place, I went over to the crate of spare weapons and cleaned and sharpened those. Normally it would be for one of the newer girls to do this, but I did it anyway.

Just as I put the last arrow back in the crate, Marianne returned, sliding off Castor's back with a huge grin. I pointed her to Artemis's tent to give her report.

I gave Castor a massive chunk of bear and ruffled his fur. He plopped down by a tree to tear at the meat. I heard whooping and looked up. A group of girls ran into the camp, holding a bear carcass on their shoulders.

Artemis came out of her tent to see what was going on. Her face lit up at the bear on the ground and she seemed to glow brighter for a moment. The girls who killed the bear helped her skin and hang the pelt in her tent.

I gathered all the Hunters in one place and sent them off to take down their tents and pack their things. Within an hour we had piled everything on timber wolves and were headed toward Maine—Acadia National Park, to be exact.

Marianne's scouting had been useful in locating a good spot to set up camp. Acadia National Park had thinning security and lots of game. It—Maine—was one of Artemis's favorite places to hunt.

When the wolves stopped running, we pulled Artemis's many, many things off Polydeuces (her _enormous_ wolf) and pitched her tent for her. We set her throne inside and pinned all her hunting trophies on the walls. When we had given her some ambrosia and nectar and satisfied her, we went to set up our own tents.

We laid our sleeping bags on the ground, which had thawed beneath the tents, thanks to Artemis's magic. Then I went around the camp, helping the other girls with their tents and possessions. The wolves sat in a perfect circle in the center of the camp, seemingly conversing in their low growls.

Artemis summoned me to her tent and told me Zeus wanted me back with his daughter at Camp Half-Blood, to protect and train her. I would leave the next day. I didn't have much of a choise, so I just nodded.

That night was our day off, when Artemis drove her moon chariot across the sky. Normally, as Bianca had told me long ago, the reindeer knew their way every night, but it was Artemis's personal duty to drive them every full moon.

She would leave us to go off by ourselves; some girls would swim in the creek, or hunt small game. Bianca, Eleanor, and I would usually just swim, but this time I told them to go without me.

Instead I roused Castor from his slumber and we went to the beach. He walked in circles for a while, then laid his head on his paws and went back to sleep. I scratched between his ears, staring at the water. I walked to the end of the rocks and dived into the ocean with a cloud of bubbles.

The moonlight shone through the surface of the water. I sat on the ocean floor in the current, breathing deeply. The curious fish crept out of their hiding places and swirled around me. I could hear their little minds saying, _Daughter of the Sea God! Daughter of the Sea God!_

They nibbled on my feet and ankles harmlessly, brushing past my skin playfully. I watched them with a smile, breathing perfectly normal. There was a sudden underwater splash as someone else jumped into the water. The fish scattered.

Someone's arm went around my stomach and tugged me toward the surface. I was too surprised to fight back; it must have been four o' clock in the morning for mortals. No one should have been around.

I figured my attacker was a mortal, so I let whoever it was drag me to the surface. It turned out I was right. It was a completely human girl. She was soaking wet (unlike me), her eyes staring at me anxiously.

I sat up abruptly. She recoiled in shock. I pressed a finger to my lips. The moon seemed to dim for a second, like Artemis was frowning at me.

"Who are you?" the mortal girl asked suddenly.

"No one," I replied quietly. As she turned to look at the water, I noticed a tattoo on her left arm. It was a sun. "Styx," I muttered.

She whipped her head around to look at me. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," I said. "What's your name?"

She looked cautious, but said, "Hannah. Hannah Duran."

"Hannah," I repeated. "I'm Alice. You're an only child, right?"

"No," she said. "I have a brother named Joe."

I pursed my lips. "Do you have a stepfather?"

"Yeah."

"And Joe is your half-brother?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good," I murmured. "Good." I took her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come, Hannah Duran."

"No!" she yanked her hand out of my grip. "I don't even know why I told you that stuff! You could be, like, a murderer or something!" She brandished a cell phone in my face. "My mom's a cop and she's my speed dial number two. You touch me again, and the whole police station's down here to throw you in the brig."

I laughed. "No mortal police could catch me, child." I took her elbow.

Her thumb hit a button and I could hear the ring. I felt my face harden; the water rose up and snatched the cell phone from her, drawing it back into the depths. Her eyes widened in fear and she stared at me.

"Never use a phone in the mortal world," I told her sternly, saying each word slowly and clearly. "Ever."

She nodded slowly, still stunned.

"You have to listen to me," I said. "How old are you?"

"Thirteen," she said.

"Hmm," I said. "Do you remember Ancient Greece?."

"Yes, that was a fascinating year," she said. "I loved the religion, the idea of the twelve Olympians."

"Idea?" I laughed. "Be careful or Lord Zeus will incinerate you."

Her eyes widened farther. "Zeus?"

"Yes, child. The gods—and especially Zeus—are real. He is your grandfather. My uncle," I smiled at her. "I am Alice, and my father is Poseidon. You are Hannah Duran, daughter of Apollo." That was the end. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she dropped toward the sand.

I caught her in my arms, thinking this was easier than trying to explain the gods to her, and whistled.

Castor came instantly, but slower. He licked my hand, growled at Hannah sleepily, then offered me his back. I draped Hannah over him and sat behind her, kneeing him in the side.

He gave me a toothy yawn, then took off, kicking a cloud of sand behind us.

A rush of relief went through me as I spotted the Big House. The lights were off, the windows dark. I slung Hannah's unconscious body over my shoulders and carried her inside with a silent Huntress' step.

The girl would need ambrosia and nectar. I put her on the couch and went to get some. I heard someone's footsteps behind me, but I didn't turn around.

"Alice?"

"Morning, Anne," I said, turning with the bowl of ambrosia and glass of nectar.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her gray eyes wide.

I walked past her and set the bowl and glass on the coffee table. "According to Zeus—and the rest of Olympus—I am your protector, your trainer, and I'm responsible for whatever happens to you guys. I found _her_" I waved a hand at Hannah Duran on the couch "this morning in Maine."

"What were you doing in Maine?" Anne asked.

"That's not really relevant," I said, "but the Hunter's camp is in Maine. Anyway, Zeus wants me back here protecting you children, so here I am."

Anne rubbed her eyes.

"Go back to the Athena room," I urged. "I'll make sure you sleep in a little longer. Just don't tell anyone." I winked at her and turned back to Hannah Duran.

I heard her go back out the door and sat opposite Hannah. She was still unconscious, mumbling in her sleep.

An hour or so later, she sat up with a start, her blue eyes wide. She looked around the room wildly, her gaze finally setting on me. She put a hand to her forehead. "Did you…kidnap me?"

"Technically, yes," I said. "But it was either kidnapping or abandonment. You're lucky I was there before you needed me."

"Why would I need you?" Her words sounded harsher than she meant.

I glanced down. "It's better you don't know." I pushed the ambrosia and nectar toward her. "Eat. God food is better than mortal food right now. It'll help with the shock."

Hannah was still stunned, but she did what I told her. When she was finished, I took her to the Apollo cabin.

I knocked on the door; a loud thud sounded, then a groan, and a sleepy giggle. A second later, Shawn Spencer came to the door. "Hey, Alice," he yawned. "Wait—_Alice?_"

There was another loud thump. "Where?" a voice demanded sleepily.

I ignored that. "Shawn, meet your new sister, Hannah Duran," I said, gesturing to Hannah. "Give her the bunk next to Miranda's."

"Who said my name?" Miranda pushed her brother aside and poked her head out. Her hair was a blond bird's nest and there were circles under her eyes."Oh, hey Alice." She glanced at Hannah. "New sis, huh?"

I raised my eyebrows.

Miranda sighed. "Okay." She grabbed Hannah's arm. "Come on, new sis. Ah," she held up her hand as Hannah opened her mouth. "Introductions in the morning. I don't care who you are before I've had breakfast."

Shawn rolled his eyes at his sisters, flashed me a weak smile, then closed the door quietly.

I waited until the bickering stopped and the lights flicked off, then went to the Poseidon cabin to sleep.

* * *

***sigh* I know, this chapter was super short. It's just a filler, but I promise another one soon. See, if you guys look to the bottom right of the screen you'll see that button that says "Next". Well? What're you waiting for? Click on it!**

**~ Alice ~**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi, people who love reading! Thanks for clicking on my link! So, aren't you guys wondering where the new daughter of Zeus is? You've heard the prophecy, aren't you trying to figure out what's going to happen next?**

**Connor: *yawn* Why would they care?**

**Me: Connor? What are you doing here?**

**Connor: Huh? What? Oh, Parker gave me your keys.**

**Me: *checks purse for keys* Parker!**

**Robb: Parker? Oh, she's hiding from you.**

**Me: *groans* GET OUT! *shoves them out the door and locks it* **

**Connor throught the door: You'll never get rid of us, O'Hare!**

**Robb: Never!**

**Me: GO AWAY! You'll RUIN IT!**

**Joan from corner: Hasn't Parker already done that?**

**Me: *tries to strangle her***

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**16/**

Someone shook my shoulder gently. My eyes flew open and Bianca was standing over me.

"Are you awake now?" she said with a smile.

I sat up. "What time is it?"

"Little past dawn," she answered.

I ran a hand through my hair and put on my circlet. "Where's Eleanor?" I asked as I strapped my quiver to my back.

"She and a few of the new girls went to catch a bear," she said, handing me my sword.

"We're moving camp today, aren't we?" I said.

"Maine, I think."

I nodded. "Lady Artemis?"

"Waiting for you to wake up," she said. "I'm going to go help Eleanor with that grizzly." She ducked out of the tent and ran off with the silent steps of a huntress.

I rubbed my eyes and pulled on my boots, slipping in my dagger. I zipped up my sleeping bag and hurried to Artemis' tent.

"My lady?" I called through the fabric.

"Mmm? Come in, Alice."

I went inside and bowed. "You wanted to see me, my lady?"

"Yes, I would like you to begin pulling down the tents as soon as everyone is present," Artemis said, taking a sip of nectar from a drinking skin.

"I will do so when everyone's returned to camp," I assured her. "Do you need anything before then?"

"I want to send a scout or two to look over the woods in Maine. Can you pick someone for me?" She brushed crumbs off her tunic and smiled at me.

"Of course, my lady," I said, bowing to her. "I'll start now." As I left the tent I knew who to choose: Marianne. I would've chosen Bianca or Eleanor, but they were away trying to catch Artemis a bear, so she was my third choice.

I told her what to do and let her borrow one of the timber wolves so she could get across to Maine. I told her to come back as soon as possible.

Even though it wasn't my place, I went over to the crate of spare weapons and cleaned and sharpened those. Normally it would be for one of the newer girls to do this, but I did it anyway.

Just as I put the last arrow back in the crate, Marianne returned, sliding off Castor's back with a huge grin. I pointed her to Artemis's tent to give her report.

I gave Castor a massive chunk of bear and ruffled his fur. He plopped down by a tree to tear at the meat. I heard whooping and looked up. A group of girls ran into the camp, holding a bear carcass on their shoulders.

Artemis came out of her tent to see what was going on. Her face lit up at the bear on the ground and she seemed to glow brighter for a moment. The girls who killed the bear helped her skin and hang the pelt in her tent.

I gathered all the Hunters in one place and sent them off to take down their tents and pack their things. Within an hour we had piled everything on timber wolves and were headed toward Maine—Acadia National Park, to be exact.

Marianne's scouting had been useful in locating a good spot to set up camp. Acadia National Park had thinning security and lots of game. It—Maine—was one of Artemis's favorite places to hunt.

When the wolves stopped running, we pulled Artemis's many, many things off Polydeuces (her _enormous_ wolf) and pitched her tent for her. We set her throne inside and pinned all her hunting trophies on the walls. When we had given her some ambrosia and nectar and satisfied her, we went to set up our own tents.

We laid our sleeping bags on the ground, which had thawed beneath the tents, thanks to Artemis's magic. Then I went around the camp, helping the other girls with their tents and possessions. The wolves sat in a perfect circle in the center of the camp, seemingly conversing in their low growls.

Artemis summoned me to her tent and told me Zeus wanted me back with his daughter at Camp Half-Blood, to protect and train her. I would leave the next day. I didn't have much of a choise, so I just nodded.

That night was our day off, when Artemis drove her moon chariot across the sky. Normally, as Bianca had told me long ago, the reindeer knew their way every night, but it was Artemis's personal duty to drive them every full moon.

She would leave us to go off by ourselves; some girls would swim in the creek, or hunt small game. Bianca, Eleanor, and I would usually just swim, but this time I told them to go without me.

Instead I roused Castor from his slumber and we went to the beach. He walked in circles for a while, then laid his head on his paws and went back to sleep. I scratched between his ears, staring at the water. I walked to the end of the rocks and dived into the ocean with a cloud of bubbles.

The moonlight shone through the surface of the water. I sat on the ocean floor in the current, breathing deeply. The curious fish crept out of their hiding places and swirled around me. I could hear their little minds saying, _Daughter of the Sea God! Daughter of the Sea God! _

They nibbled on my feet and ankles harmlessly, brushing past my skin playfully. I watched them with a smile, breathing perfectly normal. There was a sudden underwater splash as someone else jumped into the water. The fish scattered.

Someone's arm went around my stomach and tugged me toward the surface. I was too surprised to fight back; it must have been four o' clock in the morning for mortals. No one should have been around.

I figured my attacker was a mortal, so I let whoever it was drag me to the surface. It turned out I was right. It was a completely human girl. She was soaking wet (unlike me), her eyes staring at me anxiously.

I sat up abruptly. She recoiled in shock. I pressed a finger to my lips. The moon seemed to dim for a second, like Artemis was frowning at me.

"Who are you?" the mortal girl asked suddenly.

"No one," I replied quietly. As she turned to look at the water, I noticed a tattoo on her left arm. It was a sun. "Styx," I muttered.

She whipped her head around to look at me. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," I said. "What's your name?"

She looked cautious, but said, "Hannah. Hannah Duran."

"Hannah," I repeated. "I'm Alice. You're an only child, right?"

"No," she said. "I have a brother named Joe."

I pursed my lips. "Do you have a stepfather?"

"Yeah."

"And Joe is your half-brother?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good," I murmured. "Good." I took her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come, Hannah Duran."

"No!" she yanked her hand out of my grip. "I don't even know why I told you that stuff! You could be, like, a murderer or something!" She brandished a cell phone in my face. "My mom's a cop and she's my speed dial number two. You touch me again, and the whole police station's down here to throw you in the brig."

I laughed. "No mortal police could catch me, child." I took her elbow.

Her thumb hit a button and I could hear the ring. I felt my face harden; the water rose up and snatched the cell phone from her, drawing it back into the depths. Her eyes widened in fear and she stared at me.

"Never use a phone in the mortal world," I told her sternly, saying each word slowly and clearly. "Ever."

She nodded slowly, still stunned.

"You have to listen to me," I said. "How old are you?"

"Thirteen," she said.

"Hmm," I said. "Do you remember Ancient Greece?."

"Yes, that was a fascinating year," she said. "I loved the religion, the idea of the twelve Olympians."

"Idea?" I laughed. "Be careful or Lord Zeus will incinerate you."

Her eyes widened farther. "Zeus?"

"Yes, child. The gods—and especially Zeus—are real. He is your grandfather. My uncle," I smiled at her. "I am Alice, and my father is Poseidon. You are Hannah Duran, daughter of Apollo." That was the end. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she dropped toward the sand.

I caught her in my arms, thinking this was easier than trying to explain the gods to her, and whistled.

Castor came instantly, but slower. He licked my hand, growled at Hannah sleepily, then offered me his back. I draped Hannah over him and sat behind her, kneeing him in the side.

He gave me a toothy yawn, then took off, kicking a cloud of sand behind us.

A rush of relief went through me as I spotted the Big House. The lights were off, the windows dark. I slung Hannah's unconscious body over my shoulders and carried her inside with a silent Huntress' step.

The girl would need ambrosia and nectar. I put her on the couch and went to get some. I heard someone's footsteps behind me, but I didn't turn around.

"Alice?"

"Morning, Anne," I said, turning with the bowl of ambrosia and glass of nectar.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her gray eyes wide.

I walked past her and set the bowl and glass on the coffee table. "According to Zeus—and the rest of Olympus—I am your protector, your trainer, and I'm responsible for whatever happens to you guys. I found _her_" I waved a hand at Hannah Duran on the couch "this morning in Maine."

"What were you doing in Maine?" Anne asked.

"That's not really relevant," I said, "but the Hunter's camp is in Maine. Anyway, Zeus wants me back here protecting you children, so here I am."

Anne rubbed her eyes.

"Go back to the Athena room," I urged. "I'll make sure you sleep in a little longer. Just don't tell anyone." I winked at her and turned back to Hannah Duran.

I heard her go back out the door and sat opposite Hannah. She was still unconscious, mumbling in her sleep.

An hour or so later, she sat up with a start, her blue eyes wide. She looked around the room wildly, her gaze finally setting on me. She put a hand to her forehead. "Did you…kidnap me?"

"Technically, yes," I said. "But it was either kidnapping or abandonment. You're lucky I was there before you needed me."

"Why would I need you?" Her words sounded harsher than she meant.

I glanced down. "It's better you don't know." I pushed the ambrosia and nectar toward her. "Eat. God food is better than mortal food right now. It'll help with the shock."

Hannah was still stunned, but she did what I told her. When she was finished, I took her to the Apollo cabin.

I knocked on the door; a loud thud sounded, then a groan, and a sleepy giggle. A second later, Shawn Spencer came to the door. "Hey, Alice," he yawned. "Wait—_Alice?_"

There was another loud thump. "Where?" a voice demanded sleepily.

I ignored that. "Shawn, meet your new sister, Hannah Duran," I said, gesturing to Hannah. "Give her the bunk next to Miranda's."

"Who said my name?" Miranda pushed her brother aside and poked her head out. Her hair was a blond bird's nest and there were circles under her eyes."Oh, hey Alice." She glanced at Hannah. "New sis, huh?"

I raised my eyebrows.

Miranda sighed. "Okay." She grabbed Hannah's arm. "Come on, new sis. Ah," she held up her hand as Hannah opened her mouth. "Introductions in the morning. I don't care who you are before I've had breakfast."

Shawn rolled his eyes at his sisters, flashed me a weak smile, then closed the door quietly.

I waited until the bickering stopped and the lights flicked off, then went to the Poseidon cabin to sleep.

* * *

***sigh* I know, this chapter was super short. It's just a filler, but I promise another one soon. See, if you guys look to the bottom right of the screen you'll see that button that says "Next". Well? What're you waiting for? Click on it! **

**Kisses! -Alice**


	17. Chapter 17

**Well, here you go, guys. This one's WAY better than the last one, I promise. Why didn't I make up something better for that one...?**

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* * *

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17/

I looked up, toward the beach, the Pacific Ocean, and I sobered instantly.

How could I protect my family? Hecate was a goddess, with an immortal army. Even if we had double our numbers now, we wouldn't have a good chance. I made my decision.

I determinedly jumped down from the tree, raced to the roof of the Big House, and blew my horn. All movement below stopped, and multiple figures dashed for the house.

I was down in the basement before any one of them. I studied their faces as they sat in their chairs: Joan DeWitt, Elijah Andrews, Anne Grey, Mariah Evans, Zoë Perish, Peter Montgomery, Brian Bush, Robb and Connor Heist, Tyler Bryce, James and Elizabeth Bentley. I stood up and leaned forward.

"We all know that a war is coming. We all know who's leading it. We all know we can't stop it. But there is something we can do."

Joan slammed her fist on the table, making an extremely nervous Mariah jump. "What? What can we possibly do? Hecate is gonna slaughter us, even with the help of our parents."

"But we have Nike on our side," Anne spoke up, trying to be optimistic. "And our parents, the Fates, the Winds—"

"Yeah," Connor interrupted, "but still, what chance do we have?"

"Approximately seventy-seven percent," Anne muttered.

"Cut the geek!" Joan was furious. Anne's eyes flashed and she stood up, her expression murderous.

"Listen to me!" I said. "There is a way."

"What?" Joan demanded, exasperated.

"We can strengthen our boundary lines, install some monster border patrol," I said.

"Monster?" Mariah snorted. "What kind of monster?"

"Drakons," I said.

Anne shot out of her seat. "Of course!"

"Dragons?" asked Elizabeth Bentley.

"_Drakons_," I corrected.

"The Hesperides?" Anne said.

"Maybe," I said. "Ladon could know where his relatives are."

"I'm in," Joan said immediately. "I need a real fight."

"What about us?" Robb and Connor demanded in unison.

"Stop!" I said, throwing out my hands. "We can't count completely on Ladon to know where available drakons are."

"Python?" Tyler Bryce suggested. "He could know something."

"Wait," Elijah shook his head, "didn't Apollo kill Python?"

"Yes," Anne and I said patiently.

"Monsters can be killed, but they can't die," Anne explained. "They get locked up in Tartarus for a while, but sometimes they worm their way back into the mortal world."

"Or someone lets them out," I said. "Python, Ladon, and…what about the Colchian drakon?"

"Him too," Anne agreed. "That means we need three teams. One to go to Delphi, one to Colchis, one to the Garden of the Hesperides."

"I'll lead the team to the Hesperides," I volunteered. "Anne, you can take another to Delphi, and Joan, you take Colchis."

"Why Colchis?" Joan demanded.

"Because the Colchian dragon is a child of Ares," Anne said impatiently. "Maybe he'll talk to you. If you can wake him up."

"Alright, who wants to go?" I said, which turned out to be a big mistake.

There were so many "me!"s that I clamped my hands to my ears and shouted, "Okay, okay! Let me choose!" They quieted down, and I could finally speak.

"Three to a group. Peter, you, me, and Parker Parkers are going to the Garden of the Hesperides. Anne, you, Elizabeth, and…er, Hannah Duran head for Delphi. And Joan, take Elijah and Tyler and go to Colchis to find your monster sibling." Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement. "Go. Pack. Meet at the boundary line in ten minutes."

And the war council adjourned.

I packed a backpack full of demigod necessities and was the first to be at the boundary line.

"Alice!" Peter ran up.

"What?" I said.

"Look what I found!" he thrust his arm out to show me. I gaped; sitting in his palm was the transportation watch.

"How?" I said.

"I found it in my bed this morning!" Peter grinned. "I can take it on our trip, right?"

"All magic items aloud," I said. "Where's Parker?"

Something dropped next to me. "Here." It was Parker.

I whistled. Castor was suddenly standing in front of me; he gave me a dog-like kiss and settled down in front of me. Parker and Peter jumped on Castor's back as I went to go check on the others.

Anne was digging into her backpack and looked up when I came close.

"Do you have mortal cash?" I asked her. "Drachmas?"

"Both," she replied with a smile. "I have to thank you, Alice. Leading a quest to Delphi is going to be…"

"I know. Have you planned how you're going to get there?" I asked.

"By sea," she said. "Mind giving us a push?"

"Sure," I said. "Grab a boat from Io and I'll meet you at Poseidon Beach." That was what we called the beach near the Pacific.

"Okay." She ran off.

I talked to Joan next. She was going on foot to the nearest national airport and flying to Greece, then Colchis. "Be careful," I told her. "Medea put him to sleep years ago; it will be difficult to wake him, let alone survive his teeth."

"No daughter of Ares runs from a drakon," Joan declared.

"I'm not asking you to," I said. "I just don't want three to go to Colchis and only one to come back. The gods would not be pleased."

Joan gave me a mock salute and she and her group went off into the mortal world.

I went to Poseidon Beach, where Anne, Elizabeth, and Hannah were setting up their equipment in a small boat. I pulled Anne aside. "Keep an eye on Hannah as you go, okay? She's new, you know."

"Right," Anne agreed. She, Elizabeth, and Hannah climbed in the boat and I told the waves to push them. They practically flew away in a cloud of sea spray. I caught a glimpse of Anne waving to me. I waved back.

I hurried back to the boundary line and swung myself onto Castor's back. "Ready?" I said, turning around to look back at my companions.

"Ready," they replied in unison.

I nudged Castor forward and he began running. The world flashed by us in a blur of colors and—

Castor stopped running. We were standing on a cliff, looking down on the mortal (and immortal) city of Los Angeles.

"Where are we?" Peter asked. "I don't recognize this."

"_El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula,"_ I said.

Parker and Peter stared at me.

"What?" Peter said.

"_El Pueblo de Nuestra—"_

"No, no, no! Don't say it again!" Peter said.

"Say it in English," Parker prompted.

"It means, the Village of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels of the River of Porciúncula." They stared at me blankly. I sighed. "Los Angeles."

"Ohhhh," they said together.

"Why didn't you say so?" Peter said. He turned his attention back to the city. "Wow. I've never been here."

I snorted.

"What?" he demanded.

"Nothing," I replied.

"Where are we, exactly?" Parker interrupted.

"Downtown," I said.

"Lemme catch a taxi," said Peter.

"Peter, we're not in New York," I told him. "There aren't millions of taxis roaming around for customers."

"There's one," Parker said suddenly, pointing.

Peter's arm shot out, and the taxi pulled to a stop.

"_¡Hola!__"_ the driver yelled_. "__¿Usted los niños necesitan un paseo?"_

"What did he say?" Peter asked.

"He asked if we need a ride," I muttered. _"__Sí, señor,"_ I told the man.

"_¡Hacer entrar!"_ the driver said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

"Come on," I said over my own shoulder and climbing in the back seat.

"Where is the Garden of the Hesperides, anyway?" Parker asked.

"The Arboretum, of course," I said. "Where else?"

"The what?" she said as we all buckled ourselves in.

The driver interrupted with something in Spanish. I replied.

"What?" Peter murmured.

"He said we need to pay him thirty dollars," I told him.

"What's the Arboretum?" Peter asked, leaning over Parker's lap to talk to me.

"It's a botanical park," I said. "It's most known for its large population of peacocks."

"Ohh," Parker said. "I get it. Peacocks and Hera."

The driver leaned out the window and yelled in Spanish at a passing car, honking furiously.

"What do we have to deal with?" Peter said.

Almost all Greek "mythological" places had some kind of lethal monster, demon, or god.

"The Hesperides," I said, frowning. "They…aren't very hospitable."

Parker raised her eyebrows. "Meaning you've run into them before?"

I didn't answer her.

"What else?" Peter pressed.

Parker sighed in annoyance. "Peter, you're really heavy."

Peter straightened. "Sorry."

"Ladon, and maybe Atlas," I lied in answer to Peter's question. "Otherwise, none."

Our driver yelped as a dark shape flew in front of the car. He turned the wheel hard and swerved to avoid it, but it followed, cracking the asphalt with every step. Another pair of headlights blinded us, and the cabbie slammed on the brakes, causing the cab to lurch. I wasn't startled, but Parker and Peter almost flew out the windshield.

Parker straightened from her bent position and put a hand to her head, groaning. Peter peeled his forehead off the back of the passenger seat and rubbed the red patch imprinted on his skin. "Ow."

I fished money out of our backpack and stuffed it into the cabbie's hand. _"Gracias, señor. Tener un día agradable."_

"_Gracias, nena. Buena suerte, vaya donde vaya!"_ he shouted after me as we ran off.

We ran through the streets until even I was out of breath.

"Styx!" Parker moaned as we dived behind a building.

"You speak Spanish?" Peter demanded breathlessly, panting.

"Yes," I said. "I also speak Greek, Latin, French, and four other languages you've never heard of."

"Silly me," he managed.

"What was that thing?" Parker said, putting her hands on her knees and panting.

"I have no idea," I said. I straightened my quiver, and put a hand on the hilt of my sword. "Come on. The farther away we get the better."

They both groaned, but ran after me.

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**So, what's going to happen in the Garden of the Hesperides? Will Hera show up and blast them to dust? Or will Ladon simply eat them? Am I lying? Check back next time to find out! Or maybe you could just click on the "Next" at the bottom of the screen. :D I know. You guys love me. (lol)**

**Kisses! -Alice**


	18. Chapter 18

**Again I say: Will Hera show up and burn Alice and her friends to ashes? Or will the Hesperides do it for her? Well, stop reading my super-crappy intro and LOOK DOWN. :D**

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18/

"Hurry up, you two," I said quietly, glancing over my shoulder. I jumped over the wall and landed softly on one knee, all my fingertips touching the dirt.

Parker followed with a step only a greatly skilled thief could accomplish. Peter rolled over the top of the wall and dropped to the ground with a loud thump.

"Shh!" Parker and I turned to hiss at him, pressing our fingers to our lips.

"Sor_ry_," he whispered sarcastically, holding up his hands. "It's _all_ Peter's fault that he's not a Hunter or a thief so he can't walk as quietly as a certain couple of girls I could mention—"

"Peter, shut up," Parker said in a whisper.

"Shh!" I held out my hand, palm outward. I stared into the eyes of a majestic owl, sitting in a tree. The owl's eyes were a clear, blazing gray, and I knew instantly who it was.

I knelt to the animal, who cocked its head at me and snapped its beak quietly. It began to glow, and transformed into the full form of the goddess Athena.

She gave me a dazzling white smile and pressed a finger to her lips. Her gray eyes were laughing. I had never seen her so…casual.

Athena was dressed in a white Greek chiton, gladiator sandals on her feet and gold arm bands. She wasn't wearing her usual war helm, but a simple gold crown.

When she opened her mouth to speak, no sound came out. Instead her voice echoed in my mind:

_Good evening, godling. _Her voice was musical and amused.

I looked around; Parker and Peter were frozen, their eyes glassy. I turned back to Athena and found I could answer her without actually _answering_, so to speak: I got to my feet and bowed again. _Good evening, my lady,_ I answered.

_I see you are attempting to strengthen your borderlines, _she said. Her eyes had gone from amused to serious. _We have been watching you, my dear. _

I felt my eyes widen. _You have?_

The goddess smiled. _Of course, child. We are not as careless as you might think. _

_Why would _you_ watch _me_? _I wanted to know.

She sighed and stretched out her arm. A barn owl settled on her forearm, its eyes as startlingly gray and serious as hers. _I have misspoken. _I_ have been watching you. It has been decided that each of you be assigned a guardian. I am yours. _

I knew that by "each of you" Athena meant the three daughters of the prophecy: me, Mariah Evans, Zoë Perish. Poseidon, Zeus, Hades. I wondered who was guarding _them_.

_Why is my father not my guardian?_ I asked.

_Alice, I believe you do know. Poseidon's fatherhood to you might cloud his judgment; cause him to make bad choices. I am related to you, but not as closely. And I am the wisdom goddess. What better guardian could you have? _She smiled slightly.

_Who are _their _guardians? _

Athena, my apparent guardian, sighed again. _Ares for Mariah, I'm afraid. Father wants the very best protection for his daughter. _She spoke the words bitterly, as if she resented Mariah. She smiled once more. _I like you better. The girl is much too...well, like her uncle. Ares is quite pleased. _Her musical laugh filled my head. _Apollo is watching Zoë. They are quite in contrast, my brother being the god of the sun, Zoë being the daughter of the Lord of the dead. _

_Will you always be watching me? _The question burst out of my mouth before I could stop it.

_Not always, dear, but most of the time. _Athena jumped down from the tree and stood in front of me, glowing. Her smile almost blinded me. Suddenly she whipped her head around and listened closely. I could smell her fear—no, not fear, nervousness. She bit her lip and turned back to me, worry written in her gray eyes. _I must go, dear one. I was not supposed to be here in the first place. They are becoming impatient. _She began to fade, until she was just a hazy image. _Be cautious! _she called, her voice getting fainter. And she was gone.

"Alice?" Parker whispered. "What was that?"

"I'll tell you later," I told her. "Let's go. They're waiting for us."

"I don't think I want to know who," Peter muttered, but he followed after me and Parker. I stopped them silently, staring at the tree in front of me. I put my hand on the trunk and listened intently.

"Alice?" Parker said with worry. "Dryads don't appreciate demigods touching their trees."

I gave her a skeptical look. "I know, Parker. I've been hunting with dryads for centuries. And besides, a dryad doesn't reside in this tree."

Peter blinked. "What? I thought dryads live in every tree."

"It's because this isn't a tree," I explained.

"What?"

"It's a portal." I pushed my arm into the bark; it went in and came out with ease. I glanced at Parker and Peter and ducked through the tree. It felt more like going through mist than actual bark.

I blinked, though I wasn't surprised. I was surrounded by lush green trees and soft grass. The orchard was lit up with golden light, which seemed to have no source. Without checking to see if Parker and Peter had followed me, I crept through the trees until I found it.

It was beautiful. I could immediately see why Hera loved it so much. The green leaves around us were nothing compared to the emerald-green of this one. The apples of immortality glittered and shifted in the breeze. The trunk glowed with health, and wrapped around it was—

"Ladon," I breathed.

"What is that?" Parker whispered, next to me, making me jump.

"Um, Hera's prized tree," I whispered back. "When Hera married Zeus, Gaia gave her an apple tree that bore apples of immortality. The Hesperides are her servants, and their eternal duty is to care for the tree."

"That is correct, godling." And a girl stepped out from behind the tree. She frowned at me. "Hmm."

I frowned back.

She glanced at Parker and Peter, standing behind me. "More godlings?" She snorted. "My, my, Alice, what have you gotten yourself into?"

"That," I snapped, "is no matter of yours, Arethusa."

Arethusa's eyes narrowed. "Why are you here? Queen Hera will not be pleased."

"Where are your sisters, Arethusa?"

Her frown deepened. "I do not know. Or care. They are always trying to control me."

"Maybe that is because you are easily controlled," I said.

She scowled. "Shall I wake Ladon?" Her hand gravitated toward the dragon's sleeping head.

"Yes, actually," I said. "I need something from him."

Arethusa rested her palm on Ladon's head, causing him to rear up and glare at us, smoke trailing from his nostrils. "What could you possibly need from a dragon?"

"Ladon!" I called, ignoring Arethusa. "I do not mean you harm. I see you have returned from the endless sleep bestowed upon you by the vile Hercules, to loyally guard the queen's tree. I can see you are very brave."

Ladon puffed up his chest proudly, and I swear I saw him grin. He seemed to decide to listen to me, instead of eating me (thankfully).

"I am afraid I need to ask you something, Great Ladon," I said.

Ladon's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Do you happen to know where your kin dwell?" I asked. "I wish to ask a favor from them."

Ladon lifted a huge claw and drew a crude picture in the soft soil. **(Sorry, guys, I tried to post it here, but it won't let me, so use your incredible imaginations!)**

"What is that?" Peter murmured in my ear.

"That," I pointed to the object resembling a tree, "is Hera's tree. Where we are now. That," I jabbed a finger to the other, "is…a river, where the other dragons live." I looked up at Ladon. "Thank you. I shall leave you to your Great Duty."

I bowed to him, scowled to a shocked Arethusa, and backed into the trees.

"You know her?" Peter demanded as soon as we were out of earshot.

"Arethusa?" I kept my eyes on the grass. "Unfortunately, yes."

"And her sisters?" Parker ducked to avoid a tree branch.

I sighed. "Yes. I know the Hesperides from a previous…adventure."

"Hmm," said Parker.

"What previous adventure?" Peter pressed.

"I…" I hesitated. "Ladon went insane once. About a hundred years ago. He tried to eat Arethusa and Hesperia. Even Erytheia. Hera was desperate, and she asked Artemis for help. She sent me and a few others to tame Ladon."

"How did you do it?" Parker asked curiously.

"I drugged him," I replied. "We used one of Medea's old recipes and spiked a few dead sheep." I shrugged. "Hera was able to call him up to Olympus, where Dionysus returned his sanity."

They were silent.

We started toward the other side of the river, according to Ladon's map. I parted the water of the river when we reached it, and we saw them.

"Drakons," Parker breathed.

They were…indescribable. Like most drakons, they didn't have wings. Their scales glistened in the light as they wrestled with each other and splashed in the river. They had huge yellow eyes like spotlights and nostrils as big as my head blowing smoke.

One of those yellow eyes locked on us and the drakon let out a scream. All of them turned toward us and lunged.

"Alice!" Parker screamed. "Can you speak drakon?"

"_Stât!"_ I shouted at the charging drakons.

They were so surprised I knew their language—Latvian—they skidded to a stop and stared at me.

"_Mesties ceļos, zvēri,"_ I ordered. They were still shocked, but they knelt in front of me, like I'd told them.

"_We do not want to kill you. We strive only for the benefit of our demigod camp,"_ I said carefully in Latvian.

One of the drakons, larger and grander than the others, reared high and tilted its head at me respectfully. The drakon entered my mind and spoke to me in Latvian (I took the liberty of translating his words into English): _We will serve you, young mistress. We would like to ask your name. _

_I am Alice,_ I declared,_ daughter of the Sea God, Poseidon, and the first lieutenant of the great goddess Artemis. I would know yours. _

_I am known as Gale among my own, mistress. You may call me as such. What is your wish?_

_Lord Zeus has appointed me guardian of the gods' children, _I explained._ But there will be a war coming, and I want to strengthen out border lines. I would like to hire a few of you to man border patrol. _

_I understand, mistress, _said the drakon._ How many drakons do you need?_

_Three, _I replied._ I can promise good meals and rest, as well as tolerant behavior from the other demigods. _

_Agreed, _said Gale. _I will speak with my brethren, and we will return with you. _

Gale the drakon and his kin slithered off and left us alone.

"What did you tell him?" Parker asked.

"I told him about the job offer and he said he wants to talk to the rest of them," I answered.

Just as I finished speaking, Gale returned with two other drakons. One was smaller—a female with glittering blue scales. I could see that though she was female she was a vicious fighter. She reminded me of Joan DeWitt, and I wondered randomly how she was doing. The other drakon was male, slightly smaller than Gale, but larger than the female. His scales were smoky gray, his eyes bright yellow.

_This is Lazar, _Gale told me in Latvian, his yellow eyes flicking to the other male drakon. _And this is Elizia. _He gestured to the fierce female.

Lazar and Elizia bowed their heads. _We will accompany you to your camp, mistress, _they said in unison.

"Agreed."

"I can take them back," Peter volunteered. "I can use my watch, right?"

"If you want," I said, shrugging nonchalantly. I turned back to the drakons and told them in Latvian what was happening.

Gale, Lazar, and Elizia nodded. They slithered off with Peter to go back to camp. Parker and I sat down by the water and waited for him to get back.

"Alice, can I tell you something?" Parker said.

I'd been staring at the water, thinking about the ocean. I shook myself from my trance and looked at her. "If you want."

"Everybody says I'm crazy," she said. "Just because I jump off of skyscrapers on a regular basis and rob banks every other day. Do you think I'm crazy?"

"No," I answered with certainty. "There hasn't been a thief like you in a thousand years." I laughed. "Tell you what. I'll take you to the Louvre, okay?"

Her face lit up. "Really?" A mischievous glint crept into her eyes. "Ooh, I haven't been there in years." Her eyes cut to me. "Think the Athena kids'll help me make copies of the _Mona Lisa_?"

I laughed. "Sure, Parker. I bet they will."

"Good thing I have my gear," she said brightly, producing her black duffel bag.

"Okay, where did you find a place to carry that?" Peter said, walking toward us.

"Hey, Peter," Parker smiled. "How'd it go?"

"Good," he answered. "I sent them to talk to Tyler."

"Good," I said. "Now—"

"Alice!"

I whirled around and saw a Hestia-message floating in the air with Anne Grey's head in the center. Her expression was scared, her eyes wild.

"Anne!"

"Hurry, please, come to Delphi!" she said. "Python isn't happy!"

"I'm coming," I said immediately. "Just hang in there."

"I'm not going anywhere!" she said, and in unison we swiped our hands through the warm mist.

"We're taking a detour," I told Parker and Peter grimly. I got onto Castor's back and we ran in the direction of Delphi.

Castor stopped abruptly when he reached the water and growled at the waves. I calmed him and ordered the waves to flatten; instantly the water hardened, creating a flat, polished road just wide enough for Castor to walk on.

He grunted in approval and carefully walked on the path to land. From there we ran to Delphi, where a battle was raging.

Hannah Duran was learning fast; climbing to the top of a crumbling pillar, she used a raggedy bow to shoot Python wherever she could. Anne Grey was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid: she leaped onto Python's head, driving her knife into his scales again and again. Elizabeth Bentley was distracting him, charging him from the front, poking him with her sword occasionally.

Together they seemed to be winning against the ferocious dragon, but Python got his revenge easily. He bucked and threw Anne off his back, then whacked Hannah from her perch, breathing poison at Elizabeth.

Anne's expression was warlike; she looked so much like her mother she could've passed for her. I tapped my bracelet, notched an arrow, and raised my bow to eye level.

As Python reared his head to snap Anne in two, I released the bowstring, sending the arrow into the dragon's eye. The demon went rigid, and collapsed, making the ground shake.

Anne turned and gave me a grateful look. Then she sat sheathed her sword and ran to Elizabeth's side. I suddenly realized Parker and Peter weren't here. I banished the thought—for now—and went to find Hannah.

She was lying on her back, breathing shallowly. I examined her and found she had broken her right ulna, as well as two ribs. Anne and I carried out injured companions back to Castor, and he ran back to Camp Half-Blood.

I found Parker and Peter were already there. They explained that Peter's watch had malfunctioned—instead of going to Delphi, they went to Memphis, Tennessee.

Parker was a little disgruntled about missing her trip to Paris, but I promised to take her later.

Hannah was rushed to the infirmary; Miranda Bowman, the most skilled healer of the Apollo children, locked the door behind her. She never let anyone see her secrets, let alone me. I helped Miranda wrap Hannah's chest (her broken ribs) and make a cast for her arm.

Hannah was angry that she couldn't move around, but we told her Miranda's healing combined with ambrosia and nectar would guarantee her walking around in a day or two.

I observed Sophie's changes with approval: the schedules, the new alternating inspectors, the weekly games. She was happy that I approved. I smiled.

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I got paired with Peter one day, and we programmed the generator to give us a random school where a demigod would most likely be found. It produced one called Bombay High School in California.

Elizabeth Bentley and Maggie Collins, their job being to help Seekers with mortal clothes and cover ID's, packed us one magic duffel bag each and sent us on our way.

I took Castor and Peter used his watch (he was _very_ proud of that) and we were standing outside the small town of Bombay Beach.

We sat down and dug through the bags Elizabeth gave us. I found a wide variety of girl's clothes: sundresses, skirts, blouses, jeans, and so on. I plucked some pieces at random.

Peter picked up one of the dresses with two fingers and grinned. "You're never going to wear one, are you?"

I wrinkled my nose and tossed the dress back into the bag. "No thank you. I hate mortal clothing." I squirmed in the ones I was wearing. "All of it is itchy." I bent down to adjust the knife hilt sticking out of my boot.

"You know that if they find your knife you'll get in trouble, right?" Peter said.

"I need my knife," I said. "And besides, even if I have to run back to Camp Half-Blood you're going to be my backup." I changed my crown into a crescent pin and pulled my hair back. I zipped up the bag, straightening. "Ready?"

"What do we do first?" he asked.

"Where are we going to live?" I countered.

"I don't know, in the woods?" he joked.

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically. "Well?"

He thought for a moment. "How much mortal money do we have?"

I pulled out the thick roll of green paper to show him. "What are you thinking?"

"We could rent a house," he shrugged. "Say our parents are on vacation."

"That sounds good," I said approvingly. "I'll go and enroll us in the school and you go and rent something."

"Cool," he agreed. "I'll send you an Iris-message when I'm ready."

He gave me half the stack of bills and we separated. I tied a rope around Castor's neck as a makeshift leash and we walked down to the school with him trailing behind me.

Once I enrolled myself and Peter as Alice and Peter O'Hare, Castor and I ducked into a random store and bought "school stuff", as the cashier would put it.

I was stuffing the bags I'd bought with binders and notebooks when Peter's Iris-message came.

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**Hmm... What's Peter calling her about? Is there another relative or is he being attacked? Am just making these questions up off the top of my head without actually checking my own fanfic? **

**Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I repeat: I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested. :P**

**Kisses! -Alice**


	19. Chapter 19

***sigh* Well, I guess I have nothing to say except READ AND REVIEW. You know, you'd never think, but it gets tiring when you're a review whore. (Please excuse my French, ladies and gents.)**

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19/

"_Six weeks,"_ I growled in Ancient Greek. _"Six infuriating weeks at this school and _nothing!_"_

"_Don't freak," _Peter warned. _"Remember, seven weeks at the least. Only two days left and then we get to go home." _

I let out my breath slowly. _"Fine," _I said. _"I just hope something new comes along. Maggie Collins is probably having better luck than us." _

"_Something will," _he said determinedly.

"_I wish I had my uniform," _I sighed.

Then the bell rang, and I went to my 'class' squirming. And that's when I noticed her.

I only saw her because she tripped. She was hurrying into the classroom, fear in her expression, when her foot caught in the lip of the doorway and she fell, her binder flying high and coming down fast.

I looked around and saw no mortals, so I caught the binder, swept up her things, and pushed them into her arms in a matter of seconds. When she stared up at me in wonder, I saw her eyes.

They were gray.

A wave of relief came over me; finally we'd found her. I wrote a note in Ancient Greek, being careful to make the characters clear for her to read. If she was a demigod, she would be able to read it, but she wouldn't understand it.

The note looked like this:

Νότια τομέα. Ρολόι 5 o ». Να είστε εκεί.

Or in other words, get to the south field at five o'clock. I managed to crash into her in the hallways and stuff the paper into her jacket pocket without her noticing.

I told Peter what happened and he was as relieved as I was. I changed into my uniform and fixed my hair and together Peter and I went to the south field.

The field was surrounded by a border of trees, and that's were we waited. I picked up a large, flat rock and used it to sharpen my knife, then my sword.

I sighed. "Finally we get to go home."

"I know," Peter agreed. "If I had to go one more day through Pre-Calculus I think I would impale the teacher."

I laughed.

"There she is," Peter said suddenly, pointing. "What was her name again?"

"No idea," I said, jumping to the ground. "Wait." I spotted a few shapes moving among the trees. "Something's wrong."

I was right. A line of empuses and dracaenae crept from the trees and toward the girl, who had no idea what was going on around her.

"Hello?" she called. "Is anyone here?"

"I got the girl," I murmured.

"I got the demons," he said. "Castor?"

"Soon," I said. "Go."

Peter twirled the face of his watch and vanished. I leaped in front of the girl and shot an arrow in between the eyes of the first demon who charged. The girl screamed. I sent my knife into the chest of a second demon and my sword through the stomach of a third. Soon me and an invisible figure were coated with dust.

Disgusted, I used my flask of seawater to wash myself, then Peter. Suddenly a piercing scream rose from a tree; my eyes zeroed in on a lone empuse, her head thrown back and her voice echoing painfully.

"She's calling for reinforcements!" Peter yelled from somewhere in front of me. "Castor!"

I whistled in response and Castor was standing by my side. I grabbed the still-screaming girl and threw her onto Castor's back, following after her. Peter shimmered into sight and slammed his palm onto the face of his watch just as Castor started running.

The girl was still screaming even when we stopped. I tried to stop her but she was freaking out.

"I don't need your screaming along with everything else!" I yelled finally. She fell silent immediately.

Castor growled, letting me know that he didn't like traveling from California to New York all the time. Then he gnawed on my boot playfully, and I don't think he was too mad.

"Do you know what you saw?" I said.

She shook her head, dazed.

"You saw an army of demons. The fact that you aren't dead is amazing," I sighed. "But I am often amazed at how long you children manage to live."

"I…I should be dead?"

"I don't know about should be, but I can't figure out why they haven't gotten to you until today." I frowned. "Maybe it's because of my scent."

"Your scent?" The poor girl was so confused.

"Yes, child," I paused. "Each demigod has a scent. This scent is only valid to demons and monsters—and gods. The scent is strong or weak depending on your parent. Mine is incredibly strong. Mariah Evans's is even stronger. Yours is…mild, but still valid, so to speak."

The girl took it better than I had expected. "Interesting."

"I'm sorry, child," I told her. "I'm afraid I haven't learned your name."

"Juliet," she said. "Juliet Keenan."

I jumped off Castor's back without a word and pulled her along with me. I threw Castor a chunk of meat from my belt and nudged Juliet toward the door. "Well," I said expectantly. "Go on."

She went inside with a curious backward glance; I watched the door swing shut behind her with a muted thud.

"Whoa."

The voice startled me for a second, but I realized it was only Peter.

"What took you so long?" I asked.

"Watch malfunctioned," he groaned. "Took me to China."

I hid a smile behind my hand. "Let's go check on the drakons."

He nodded, and we hiked to the boundary line. Gale was curled around a tree that hadn't been there before; he was fast asleep, smoke billowing from his nostrils. Lazar was asleep as well, burning the grass twenty feet in front of him with his flaming snores. Only Elizia was awake, her scales glittering as she slithered silently along the invisible boundary line. Her yellow eyes locked with mine, and I knew she would never cease to guard the camp.

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**I really don't have to tell you guys, but...you've read, now you have to REVIEW. So, go on. Click on the button.**

**Kisses! -Alice**


	20. Epilogue

The warm August air held a chill that day at Camp Half-Blood. It was the last day of the summer, when most of the campers would leave for the mortal world. There were only a few year-rounders who would stay: Joan DeWitt, Elizabeth and James Bentley, Shawn Spencer, Jared Bennett. They would spend the winter here with me, training, while the rest returned to their mortal parents.

I was sitting in the pine tree on the boundary line with Derek the satyr below me, I staring absently at the mortal world, he blowing on reed pipes when somebody said, "What's wrong?"

I looked up to see Parker Larcener's face. She was hanging upside down from a branch above me, perfectly at ease.

"Nothing," I replied truthfully.

"Are you sure?" I was startled to hear Peter's voice below.

"Yes," I said, rolling my eyes.

"'Cause you've been like that for an hour." Anne's voice from somewhere beside me.

"If you stare into space like that for so long, do your eyes get stuck?" Zoë Perish, standing by the trunk.

"Of course they do, you dingdong." Mariah Evans, on the highest branch in the tree. "Don't you remember Shawn Spencer after that Ancient Greek class?"

Everyone laughed. I smiled.

"Yo, Atalanta!" Derek pounded on the pine tree. "Come take an End-of-Camp picture for us!"

Atalanta popped out of the bark, chucked an acorn at Derek, then snatched up the camera while he was still yelling from the pain. "Smile, yadda, yadda, yadda," she said, sounding bored.

Everyone posed. The camera flashed. Atalanta was gone with a single roll of her eyes, throwing another acorn in Derek's general direction. Derek dodged and dived for the camera, catching it in midair.

"Yes!" He pumped his fist in triumph, holding up his arms. "I am the champion!"

Everyone laughed again. Then they started singing, _We Are the Champions_; I rolled my eyes and set off for the house, smiling.

Travis and Connor Stoll had decided to end the summer with the biggest prank yet; they rigged a pudding bomb in the Aphrodite room's bathroom. It exploded in a massive wave of chocolate as soon as James Bentley went _flush_.

I tried not to smile as I watched my family; the Aphrodite kids screaming, Travis and Connor roaring with laughter, everyone else snickering. We were all happy, and we were all safe. For now, at least.

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So now you know. I won't waste what little time you have left; I'll just cut to the chase. Run. Mortal or not, they'll be looking for you now. If you're one of my kind, you'll come find me. You know what to do.

Hm? You think I'm done? No, I have much more to tell, and not enough time to tell it. These pages might come to a close, but my story is far from over. Not even close.

**—****A**

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**Well, this looks like the end...Just kidding! I'm going to post the first chapter of the sequel right now! It's called: Percy Jackson and the Lost Hero. Title subject to change. Full review inside, okay? Now, go find it, kids!**

**Oh, just a warning: I don't think I really nailed Percy's character, so he'll be OOC. You have been warned.**

**Luv you all! Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing so faithfully!**

**Kisses! -Alice**


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